Acadia Corporation suital 917.414 (a) 288-35. 3338 6710 40 x c.z THE ACADIA CORPORATI ON MOUNT DESERT ISLAND AND ACADIA NATIONAL PARK A PAPER Prepared by Charles Savage I970 ( revised, 1972 ) CADILLAC MOUNTAIN SHOP The sales situation at the summit of Cadillac has had a varied and curious development. It was started by the Acadia Corporation as early as 1933 years before the company had any connection whatever with Jordan Pond. Cadillac was the first activity In 1933 the Acadia Corporation built a much larger structure than now exists, located somewhat higher and more remote from the parking area; called it the "Summit Tavern". The operation provided not only counter meals, but table service as well. There was a central ent- rance, a long counter, an extended dining room with a fine fireplace and tables; also a separated gift shop at the opposite end of the building. It was operated from 1933 through 1941 when the war came. Cadillac Mountain summit was taken over by the War Department. A radio set-up was established. The tavern was used for a barracks. When peace came the building was returned to the company SO wrecked that it was torn down. It SO happened that the smaller ranger station was there and for an initial, ( and supposed temporary ) , use, it was accorded to the company in recognition of the deprivement of the tavern. While not very adequate, it has continued on as a facility from that day to this. Its area is far too small. It is not well suited for its present use. The study of this situation has become vital. Overlong deferred. IN CONCLUSION In connection with a new contract, it is the belief of the directors of the Acadia Corporation, (and subject to further discussion of needs, ways and means, details and viability), that the years ahead should produce the following 1. Jordan Pond. Continuance of the present operation along the lines long inherent and traditional. That further study be given to the proper service of certain simpler foods, possibly in some modest facility probably to be separated from the main buildings. That all of the service area of the plant should be modernized, a second dining room be created, and that the shop area be en- larged. However, in connection with the foregoing, the phys- ical changes should be designed to be in harmony, (especially in their exterior appearance), with the general rustic feeling which heretofore has prevailed, and that the old birch bark rooms, SO called, should be kept without material alteration. 2. Cadillac Mountain. That this facility be retained and rebuilt. It is the opinion of those associated with the Acadia Corporation that public service at the summit of Cadillac Mountain is essen- tial and that the service structure should be dignified and appro- priate. 3. Thunder Hole That this small shop is tasteful in external appearance, meets a considerable public demand, and that in its location on the Thunder Hole parking area it does not intrude in any way. In order to perform its functions more effectively and efficiently it should be enlarged, the enlargement being at the rear where it would not show from the front in order to avoid an extended facing on the parking area. 4. Sand Beach . . That a new, simple, but servicable facility be introduced here in accordance with the suggestions outlined on a previous page. enaule S 15 Save Charles K. Savage, President Acadia Corporation Originally written in March, 1970 Re-studied with certain revisions in May, 1972 TRADITION OF MOUNT DESERT THE ACADIA CORPORATION IS OWNED AND DIR- ECTED BY PEOPLE WHOSE PRIMARY INTEREST IS MOUNT DESERT AND THE PRESERVATION OF ITS TRADITIONS. THE ISLAND HAS ENJOYED A LONG SUCCESSION OF DEDICATED PEOPLE, BOTH YEAR- ROUND AND IN SUMMER, PEOPLE WHO HAVE EVER HAD A CONCERN FOR ITS RIGHT DEVELOP - MENT AND A CARE FOR ITS FUTURE. ESSENTIALLY, THIS IS THE REASON FOR THE ATTEN- TION WHICH THE SHAREHOLDERS, DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS OF THIS COMPANY HAVE GIVEN IN THE PAST AND ARE CONTINUING TO EVIDENCE AT THIS TIME IN THEIR DESIRE TO SEE CONTINUED SOME SEMBLANCE OF THE ATMOSPHERE AND ACTIVITIES WHICH FOR SO LONG HAVE CHARACTERIZED THE AREA. 5/17/2021 DEASY AND ACADIA CORP.jpg of Acadia National Park Lake ples, club ser- club- ).m. aris les, :lub $9 $6 b, 00 par se, ys, N Rt. es, ub b- B, 7. i, 5- (- The founders of Acadia Corp., which acquired land that later became Acadia National Park, on top of Cadillac Mountain sometime in the 1930s. Left to right, attorney David Rodick, Judge John Peters, hotel owner Chester Wescott, Judge L.B. Deasy, George Dorr (seated), New York banker Edward Dunham, Henry Morgenthau Sr. and landscape architect Charles Savage. (Photo courtesy of the Bar Harbor Historic Society.) HAER ME HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD 5-BAHA.V, 6- CADILLAC MOUNTAIN ROAD HAER No. ME-58 I. INTRODUCTION LOCATION: Between Park Loop Road and Cadillac Mountain Summit, Bar Harbor vicinity, Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, Hancock County, Maine Quad: Seal Harbor, ME UTMS: West end: Park Loop Road 19/560630/4912875 East end: Cadillac Mountain summit 19/561700/4911150 DATE OF CONSTRUCTION: 1929-1932 DESIGN: Bureau of Public Roads ENGINEER: Leo Grossman, Bureau of Public Roads, Resident Engineer CONTRACTORS: Joseph P. McCabe, Inc., Boston, MA, grading Green and Wilson, Waterville, ME, surfacing STRUCTURE TYPE: Park scenic highway FHwA STRUCTURE NO: NPS Route 1A OWNER : Acadia National Park, National Park Service 1 SIGNIFICANCE: The Cadillac Mountain summit, chief peak of Acadia National Park, is the highest point on the Atlantic Coast between Labrador and Brazil. The Cadillac Mountain Road makes the summit accessible to park motorists and is one of the chief attractions of the park. PROJECT INFORMATION: Documentation of the Cadillac Mountain Road is part of the Acadia National Park Roads and Bridges Recording Project, conducted in 1994- 95 by the Historic American Engineering Record. This is one in a series of project reports. HAER No. ME-11, ACADIA NATIONAL PARK MOTOR ROADS, contains an overview history of the park motor road system. Richard H. Quin, HAER Historian, 1994 Richard2uin CADILLAC MOUNTAIN ROAD HAER No. ME-58 (page 12) in the road project, he knew his employer would want the road situated on the best possible location, both from a scenic as well as an economic viewpoint. Rockefeller did not quote any specific recommendations that Simpson had made in his review, but forwarded the warning on to Cammerer, inferring that the Park Service might well reconsider the route. 29 That fall, Cammerer and NPS Chief Landscape Engineer Thomas C. 1927 Vint arrived in Acadia to study government policies regarding the park and the landscape problems involved in its development. The two drafted a general management plan for the park, which among other things, discussed potential concessionaire operations and the existing and planned roads. No concessions were operating within the park boundary. They took notice of the Jordan Pond House as an "attractive and popular teahouse, " but made the distinction that it was located on private land. However, they warned that once the Cadillac Mountain Road was completed, there would be demands to provide another tea-house or a hotel on the summit. While they agreed tea room service might be appropriate, as visitors coming to see the fabled sunrise were "entitled" to a good cup of coffee, they called the idea of a hotel "dangerous." If accommodations with meal service were offered for a few, they argued, demands for expansion would inevitably occur, eventually resulting in the development of a "regular seashore resort" to the detriment of both the park and the community. They urged that no other concessions should be planned. 30 Ecology Law Quarterly Volume 8 Issue 1 Article 1 June 1979 Preservations and Use: Concessions in the National Parks Michael Mantell Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/elq Recommended Citation Michael Mantell, Preservations and Use: Concessions in the National Parks, 8 ECOLOGY L.Q. (1979). Available at: http://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/elq/vol8/iss1/1 Link to publisher version (DOI) http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.15779/Z38K52M This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals and Related Materials at Berkeley Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Ecology Law Quarterly by an authorized administrator of Berkeley Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please ontact jcera@law.berkeley.edu. 14 ECOLOGY LAW QUARTERLY [Vol. 8:1 to publicize the parks and to encourage tourist travel to them. 82 Mather looked to the railroads for support, capitalizing on their slogan "See America First," and using their finances for the program. Por- trayals of parks appeared in motion pictures, booklets, and paintings. Additionally, Mather made a habit of inviting national political, liter- ary, and other influential figures to accompany him on camping excur- sions into the parks. 83 Mather's other priority was to develop tourist facilities. About Yellowstone, he wrote: "Golf links, tennis courts, swimming pools, and other equipment for outdoor pastime and exercise should be provided by concessions, and the park should be extensively advertised as a place to spend the summer instead of five or six days of hurried sight- seeing "84 Upon taking office, Mather found the concessions highly competitive and uneconomical. They consumed too much park- land and yet none of the parks except Yellowstone offered the tourist "half enough of the comforts of life."85 To Mather, "scenery [was] a hollow enjoyment to a tourist who sets out in the morning after an indigestible breakfast and a fitful sleep on an impossible bed."86 Mather favored monopolies within the parks both as an effective management tool and, more importantly, as an inducement for invest- ment. Other inducements for new capital included: (1) a preferential right to provide additional services, if and when re- quired; (2) recognition of the concessioner's equity in the facilities pro- vided by him; (3) the right to be reimbursed for the facilities if someone else was granted the privilege of operating such facilities; (4) the oppor- tunity to earn a reasonable profit in the overall operation; and (5) a franchise fee provision under which concessioners would be entitled to earn net profits equal to 6 percent of their investment before paying a franchise fee. 87 These policies were effective. By 1924 the concession business in Yel- 82. See, e.g., R.S. YARD, THE NATIONAL PARKS PORTFOLIO (3rd ed. 1921) and R.S. YARD, THE BOOK OF THE NATIONAL PARKS (1919). 83. J. ISE, supra note 3h, at 197. 84. See id. at 198. In a similar vein, Horace Albright, as Superintendent of Yellow- stone in the 1920's, developed a miniature zoo as one of the park's feature attractions. His philosophy was that visitors had a right to see wildlife whenever possible. Corrals were built to house buffaloes, deer, elk, coyotes, bears, porcupines, and badgers. Bear-feeding stations near the park's hotels provided nightly entertainment to a seated audience as the bears fed on food scraps and garbage from the hotel dining rooms. D. SWAIN, supra note 60, at 170. 85. R. SHANKLAND, supra note 22, at 121. 86. Id. at 134. 87. As explained in Udall Letter, supra note 57, reprinted in H.R. REP. No. 591, supra note 57, and [1965] U.S. CODE CONG. & AD. NEWS 3495. The six percent was cumulative; if the concessioner made only three percent one year, it could take nine percent the next year before paying the government. Id. In 1928, Congress amended the National Park Service Act so the Secretary could enter into concession lease contracts without advertising and without securing competitive bids. Act of March 7, 1928, ch. 137, § 1, 45 Stat. 235 (current version at 16 U.S.C. 3 (1976)). 1979] NATIONAL PARK CONCESSIONS 15 lowstone was operating as a regulated monopoly,88 and tourist accom- modations were improved and expanded. 89 This preoccupation with use and development of tourist facilities is not to suggest a total disregard of the parks' preservation function. The Park Service supported and established limits on use. Mather re- fused to permit railroad lines within Yellowstone, although he had en- couraged railroad lines to the park.90 He resisted tremendous pressures during and shortly after World War I from grazing, mining, and lum- bering interests. Grazing was permitted in only a few areas. Serious proposals for a cable or bridge to link the rims of the Grand Canyon were effectively fought off by Mather. Threats of resignation by Mather and Horace Albright, Superintendent of Yellowstone, worked to defeat a Department of the Interior-sponsored, Bureau of Reclama- tion proposal for a series of dams in Yellowstone. Mather clearly viewed the national parks as unique entities. He began a tradition of resisting park additions of inferior quality, those which would degrade the system as a whole and duplicate state and municipal areas.92 To make the park visit more enjoyable and mean- ingful, he developed NPS educational and interpretive functions and professionalized the field staffs.93 But Mather and Albright (who succeeded Mather as NPS director) were persuaded that the economics of tourism gained for the parks more support than their pristine beauty; the Park Service's manage- ment posture was that national parks be made attractive for use. This was a position of compromise and accommodation. Mather and Al- bright probably never considered that their continuous efforts to in- crease the number of park visitors might eventually conflict with the parks' purpose to preserve a beautiful natural setting unimpaired for future generations. Still under pressure from the utilitarians, these men were "pragmatic preservationists" and must have realized that current political reality made increased park use essential.94 If it was in the public interest to maintain existing parks and establish new ones, then it was in the public interest that they be noticeably used. 88. J. ISE, supra note 3h, at 211. D. SWAIN, supra note 60, at 133. 89. D. SWAIN, supra note 60, at 133. 90. While Mather believed in encouraging the railroads to provide inns and hotels in the parks, he occasionally found it necessary to exercise his authority over concessions. When the Great Northern Railroad had finished a hotel in Glacier National Park, Mather reminded the company that its sawmill and sawdust must leave. At the company's request, Mather granted it more time. The deadline expired and the railroad company again asked for additional time, although the hotel was already receiving guests. Mather was in the park at the time, so that afternoon he rounded up NPS trail crews and had the sawmill blown up. R. SHANKLAND, supra note 22, at 209. 91. CEQ REPORT, supra note 6, at 319. 92. J. ISE, supra note 3h, at 296. 93. Id. at 199. 94. D. SWAIN, supra note 60, at 54. 16 ECOLOGY LAW QUARTERLY [Vol. 8:1 Policies to encourage use continued during the 1930's as the Park Service was transformed into a multi-purpose, but primarily recrea- tional, agency. In 1933, most federal parks became NPS-administered: historical parks, battlefields, and cemeteries were transferred from the Department of War,95 and the parks and buildings of the nation's capi- tal were placed under Park Service jurisdiction.96 The Park Service began administering historic sites of national significance under the Historic Sites Act of 1935.97 A planning function was added to the Park Service by the Park, Parkway and Recreation Study Act of 193698 which authorized recreation planning and an inventory of national rec- reation needs. Lastly, Park Service jurisdiction was expanded to en- compass national seashore areas, of which Cape Hatteras was the first in 1937.99 During the Depression, the character of concession services de- manded by visitors and provided by the concession operators changed significantly in national parks, especially in response to shifts in modes of travel. Visitors who had formerly reached the parks by rail were now driving in automobiles. Previously, hotels accommodated the wealthy tourist, and concessioner profits were derived primarily from sight-seeing transportation, a service not needed by the car owner. As a result, the 1930's saw the beginning of a change to lower-priced and more diverse services. Cabins, cafeterias, coffee shops, souvenir stores, and grill facilities yielded a larger portion of the concessioner's revenue and, with use of the parks steadily increasing, most concessioners were investing in more of these facilities. 100 The advent of World War II halted concession growth. Many large concessioners were forced to curtail drastically their operations or even close completely. 101 Appropriations for the parks declined se- verely, closely following the decline in the number of visitors, 102 and 95. Appropriations for the Treasury and Post Office Dep'ts, fiscal year 1934, ch. 212, title IV, 47 Stat. 1517 (1933). See CEQ REPORT, supra note 6, at 319. 96. CEQ REPORT, supra note 6, at 319. 97. Historic Sites Act, ch. 593, § 2, 49 Stat. 666 (1935). 98. Park, Parkway and Recreation Study Act, ch. 735, 49 Stat. 1894 (1936). 99. 16 U.S.C. § 459 (1976) (originally enacted as Act of Aug. 17, 1937, ch. 687, § 1, 50 Stat. 669. 100. J. ISE, supra note 3h, at 429-30. The figures for visits to the entire national park system are: Year Number of Visits 1933 3,481,000 1936 11,989,000 1940 16,755,000 Id. at 429. 101. Id. at 448. Udall Letter, supra note 57, reprinted in H.R. REP. No. 591, supra note 57, at 7, and [1965] U.S. CODE CONG. & AD. NEWS 3495. See 1946 ANNUAL REPORT, supra note 3e, at 310. 102. Appropriations Visitors 1940-$21 milliona 21,050,426° 5/22/2021 Gmail - Acadia Corporation & Tea House Gmail Ronald Epp Acadia Corporation & Tea House 1 message Ronald Epp Sat, May 22, 2021 at 5:44 PM To: Bill Horner Bill, To complete some of the questions you asked since our lunch together nearly two weeks ago, I can confirm that there was a Tea House atop Green Mountian as early as 1880 which appears to be renamed The Tavern at some point. BHHS may provide the definitive date for this. But by the time that JDRJr is corresponding with David Rodick (9/24/1936) the new Acadia Corporation is proposing an addition to the Tavern "the best available site for a permanent tourists souvenir and light refreshments center." Earlier, a proposed Tea House had been suggested, but abandoned unless "a high class demand for teas, lunches and dinners, somewhat similar in demands made upon the Jordan Pond House should develop." Jr. discusses the issue of concessions atop Cadillac for several pages, an exceptional attention to detail even for him, especially since he was officially not a member of the corporation. Later (4/13/39) Jr. writes ro NPS director A. Cammerer that "The Acadia Corporation was formed tro operate the Tavern on Cadillac Mountain, Mr. Mlorgenthau and I, as well as a Few other summer people, are stockholders." On this last point, there is compromising information. The issue of "concessions" was always a sore point at NPS headquarters. Not only did Mather consider concessions as unworthy of the majesty of the parks but as we reached the quarter-century anniversary of the NPS (in a paraphrase of Csammerer, "souvenirs are not generally considered by the Service to be demanded by the public, particularly in places like MDI where village services are readily available. Unfortunately, there has not yet been a published study of the Acadia Corporation. Indeed the issue of concessions in the national parks has not been well covered even as their influence has grown. On an unrelated matter, Bill, might I suggest that you consider sending a copy of the current /I issue of Chebacco to Alsion Bassett, Director of the Archive and Research Center, The Trustees, 27 Everett St., Sharon, MA 02067. Since Charles Eliot was the 1891 founder of The Trustees, they are much interested in documenting his role in Maine as well--and to this end I have been directing documentation about the Eliots to them for the last two decades. If you would rather pass on this, let me know and I'll order a copy from Raney and send it to Alsion. Best. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ik=7c5f299744&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-a%3Ar-5421857596747334932&simpl=msg-a%3Ar-54268150... 1/2 5/16/2021 Gmail - THANKS FOR LUNCH! Gmail Ronald Epp THANKS FOR LUNCH! 2 messages Bill Horner Sun, May 16, 2021 at 7:34 AM To: Ronald Epp Cc: "McGee, Sam" , "Horner, Bill" Hi Ron, It was wonderful to see you this past week and to catch up on our mutual interests of long duration. Here is the photo I mentioned. The cast includes: Front row- GBD, Henry Morganthau, LBD, and--I think-John Peters, Jr. Back row- Charles Savage, unknown, Chester Wescott, and David Rodick The background building is more fully seen in the second photo. As you suggested, it may be misidentified All best, Bill 2 attachments DEASY AND ACADIA CORP.jpg 1196K Tea House- Cadillac Summit.jpg 1372K https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ik=7c5f299744&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-f%3A1699914583179204889&simpl=msg-f%3A169991458317 1/2 Verizon Yahoo! Mail eppster2@verizon.net Page 1 of 4 Verizon Yahoo! Mail Verizon Central Yahoo! Search: Web Search YAHOO! Welcome, eppster2@verizon Mail Home All-New Mail Tutorials Help verizon [Sign Out, Member Center MAIL Classic Mail Contacts Calendar Notepad Options Check Mail Compose Search Mail Search the Web Folders [Add Edit] Previous I Next I Back to Messages Inbox (8) Delete Reply Forward Move Draft This message is not flagged. [ Flag Message - Mark as Unread Printable View Sent Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 07:14:58 -0700 (PDT) Bulk (3) [Empty] "ELIZABETH and RONALD EPP" Add to Trash [Empty] From: Address Book Add Mobile Alert My Folders [Hide] Subject: Acadia Corporation DorrBio2008 (26) To: John_McDade@nps.gov Eliz messages (6) Dear John, Horseshoe Pond Member Information Thanks so very much for the informative response to my questions. I was especially interested in the horticultural medals since I was completely unaware Ron Archives (31) of their existence. It was very interesting to see them grouped so tightly between 1912 and 1918. Search Shortcuts I'd very much like to see and photograph them when I next visit. My Photos Two new questions: My Attachments 1. Do you have any--or all--of the Minutes of the Acadia Corporation? I'm only interested in the 1933-45 trimeframe. If not, could it be that they were retained by the existing Corporation? I've got about a hundred pages of correspondence on the A.C. drawn almost exclusively from the Rockefeller Archive Center, including financial data and planning documents. I've also got a Charles Savage paper 4 pages in length written in 1970 from your archives--could the document (in B. 6. f. 9) be more extensive than what I've copied? I've also got a poor copy of a photo of seven corporation members surrounding the seated Mr. Dorr taken from a newspaper article but wonder whether it came from your photo archive--and whether you have a date for it (I know it was taken before March 13, 1940 when Judge Deasy died) 2. Have you ever done searched the historic or photo archive with an eye to seeing what it contains relative to the Directors of the NPS from its inception in 1916 and for the next thirty years? (Mather, Albright, Cammerer, Drury). I'd be interested in what you might uncover. A related project would track ober the same time frame the Secretarys of the Interior: F.Lane, J.B. Payne, A.B. Fall, Hubert Work, R.O. West, Ray Wilbur, and Harold Ickes. Thanks for the effort! http://us.f842.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?MsgId=5698_686718_93029 712 3518 0 8/5/2008 Verizon Yahoo! Mail - eppster2@verizon.net Page 2 of 4 Ron Epp John_McDade@nps.gov wrote: Ron, Here are quick answers to your questions: -I have never come across cylinders in the collection. -In the collection is a small card catalog box with old property records. There is a section for Storm Beach Cottage which has a card for each piece of property in the house, mostly furniture. Many of the items are clearly marked as donated by Mr. Dorr in 1941. -The medals in the collection are: North Shore Horticultural Society, 1918; Mass Horticultural Society, 1917; Society of American Florists International Flower Show (NY), 1913; three from the Mass Horticultural Society, 1914; Mass Horticultural Society, 1913; Mass Horticultural Society, 1912. Each is for display of different types of plants and is awarded to Mount Desert Nurseries. We also have a 1930 medal given to WH Vanderbilt from the Mass Horticultural Society for annuals and perennials. -We have a photo of Carl Nowack and his daughter on a boat (1937). There's a lot on Sullivan including a 1937-38 VHS video, numerous photos, and specimens he collected as park naturalist. We have photos of William Campbell, mostly tagging deer. There is also one photo of Orient Thompson with a cod. -For old administrative records I believe you'd have to go to NARA in St Louis. \ I checked again for Mt Desert Nurseries and didn't find anything new. Take care, John John McDade Museum Technician Acadia National Park P.O. Box 177 Bar Harbor, ME 04609 (207)288-8729 ELIZABETH and RONALD EPP To: John McDade http://us.f842.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?MsgId=5698_686718_93029_712_3518_0_. 8/5/2008 Maine Memory Network https://www.mainememory.net/artifact/2132 Green Mountain Tea House, ca. 1880 Contributed by Acadia National Park www.mainememory.net/item/21 1322 Collections of Acadia National Park Item 21322 Description Green Mountain Tea House was the original building on Green Mountain. It became the Green Mountain Hotel and was located at the summit of Green Mountain (now Cadillac Mountain). Guests could take the Green Mountain Railroad from the base at Eagle Lake to the summit. https://www.mainememory.net/artifact/21322 1/5 5/19/2021 Tea House- Cadillac Summit.jpg [Tea House] https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzGkXSSTzTWJBzWVtTZzPfkLZkDw?projector=1&messagePartId=0.6 1/1 5/19/2021 Jordan-Pond-#5.jpg https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/inbox/FMfcgzGkXSSTzTWJBzWVtTZzPfkLZkDw?projector=1&messagePartld=0.4 1/1