The Other-Side of G.B.Darr FOA Jaurnal 24,# 2(Summor 2019 THE 'OTHER SIDE' OF GEORGE B. DORR By Ronald H. Epp Acadia co-founder George B. Dorr, is silhouetted by the view of Frenchman Bay from the veranda of his home Old Farm in Bar Harbor. I t is 75 years since the Father of Acadia developed out of his relationship with today still celebrate about Acadia National died at Old Farm in Bar Harbor on Harvard University's William James, a Park, the "endless vistas," of the island, the August 5, 1944. From that family physician, philosopher, and psychologist. "fragrant worlds of steadfast land and sea," home, George B. Dorr also planned the His revolutionary "Principles of Psychology" "the mountains their silent promises establishment of the Mount Desert Island (1890) substituted the methods of of eternal peace," many wishing that "this Biological Laboratory, the Jackson Lab, laboratory science for faith-based belief in desert was my dwelling place." and Mount Desert Nurseries. In addition an immortal soul. James attracted Dorr to During the first three decades of Old to these scientific pursuits, the emerging his studies because neither dismissed nor Farm, Mary and her husband, Charles, paranormal science developed at Old Farm accepted paranormal claims. entertained academics with paranormal has received little notice. Yet ultimately, it interests. Harvard philosopher Josiah too would play a role in the evolution of the James and Dorr stood apart Royce dedicated his influential book on national park. the religious aspects of philosophy to Mrs. In the late 1870s, his mother, Mary Gray in their commitment to be Dorr. The stature of physiologist Henry Ward Dorr, enlisted the Boston spiritualist strictly scientific-cautiously P. Bowditch prompted author Margaret community in her efforts to contact her perched on the fence of Deland to write in "Golden Yesterdays," "if eldest son William following his death from a man like Dr. Bowditch is interested in this typhus. This was not the first instance of uncertainty. In his memoirs, 'psychic stuff, perhaps there is something her reliance on the occult, for the death of Dorr expresses the Jamesian in it?" From abroad, English philologist her brother John in 1856 initiated a similar view that such phenomena Frederick W.H. Myers and Australian effort. Consequently, George Dorr matured "are not impossible," attorney Richard Hodgson entered into in a spiritualistic family. When Old Farm their heady dialogues. was completed in 1880, some guests that reminding us that "the realms These were not just maverick scholars, his mother invited were investigators of explored by science are for they formed the core of a new the spirit realm. "extraordinarily complex." professional organization. The Society for These researchers used existing Psychical Research had been established in scientific methods and developed new The James family were frequent guests London and immediately formed in 1884 experiments to analyze premonitions, at the Dorr residence. Their signatures an American branch which Hodgson led apparitions, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, are contained in the "Old Farm House after its establishment by James. At the telepathy, automatic writing, and Book," displayed at the Bar Harbor same time, G. Stanley Hall received the first other paranormal practices. Mary Dorr Historical Society Museum. This historic American doctorate in psychology under favored mediums who "fell asleep" only document contains scores of signatures, the mentorship of James, quickly rising to to awake later apparently as another poems, musical passages, and photographs the presidency of Clark University-where person-a disincarnate spirit control who there is a collection of Dorr-Hall letters on documenting the positive feelings associated manipulated the body of the medium. with the property and the island. More parapsychology. Her surviving son's interest, however, than a dozen poems revel in what people James' argued that the ideal of every 14 Summer 2010 24 Friends of Acadia Journal boh on the we That noto ale ceer Under lither oh on the n heech brista Ashthu Initia Hard home Sept 11.1952 Beary Fores Their silent promise of eternal peaced Oliver Wendell Home, Augus 123/185 Among the many luminaries who visited the Dorr family home, Old Farm, in Bar Harbor, and made entries in its guest book were, from left, President Chester Arthur, author of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" Julia Ward Howe, and Beatrix Jones (Farrand). Behind those photos is an image of a note and autograph by physician and poet Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. science-that of a coherent and closed lost interest in paranormal research. Perhaps associated with the supernatural beliefs system of truths-necessitates that it was because Clark and Harvard became implicit in psychical research with the phenomena unverifiable within the system the first American academic institutions to satisfactions implicit in efforts begun to must be untrue. Consequently, belief that receive endowments for parapsychology protect the natural world celebrated in all crows are black is not defensible if one studies. The New York Times emphasized poetry by many Old Farm guests and other witnesses the appearance of a white crow. that "the acceptance of [Harvard University] island visitors. Hodgson, James, and Dorr were the funding makes it impossible for any other Julia Ward Howe, her daughter and principle investigators in America of a institution in this country to disregard or to author Laura E. Richards, and others did "white crow," Mrs. Leonora Piper-an Old disrespect this work." not document an awareness of the need Farm guest in 1907. A Boston housewife Dorr contrasted the recurring frustration continued on page 18 with exceptional powers that appeared first in childhood, she had never been to Bar Harbor. Nonetheless, Piper "recalled" the pansies Mary Dorr spread loosely over the Old Farm table as well her delight in riding the bicycle path that her son built at Beaver Pond at the north end of today's Champlain Mountain. Careful scrutiny led James and others to conclude that Piper was not telepathic, and that the source of her claims could not be explained. The "Old Farm Series" of experiments were published by James and to this day are referenced in the psychological literature. James and Dorr stood apart in their commitment to be strictly scientific- cautiously perched on the fence of uncertainty. In his memoirs, Dorr expresses the Jamesian view that such phenomena "are not impossible," reminding us that "the realms explored by science are "extraordinarily complex." In 1905 Hodgson died; five years later Dorr biographer Ronald H. Epp displays the guest book of the Dorr family home Old Farm James, and six years later Josiah Royce. Dorr which is in the collection of the Bar Harbor Historical Society. Friends of Acadia Journal Summer 2010 15 Dorr, continued from page 15 PERUVIANLINK ALPACA COLLECTION 44 COTTAGE ST. BAR HARBOR (207) 288-8988 W WALLACE EVENTS LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED 36 Commerce Park Ellsworth, ME 04605 (207) 667-6000 Old Farm, the family home of the Dorr family, was located near Compass Harbor in Bar Harbor. It was WALLACEEVENTS.COM torn down in 1949. An online app, available on the Friends of Acadia website, allows users to take a virtual tour of the property. BAR HARBOR to protect Nature from degradation. It was - century away from the otherworldliness THE CAT CAME BACK their host, George Dorr, who understood of spiritualism to the pragmatic yet the growing threats and allied himself with MAINE NOVA SCOTIA still spiritually-inspiring national park- Harvard President Charles W. Eliot to building goal: conserve for the public the establish in 1901 the Hancock County natural splendors of Mount Desert. * Trustees of Public Reservations, the organization that eventually acquired RONALD EPP is the author of "Creating the lands that became Sieur de Monts Acadia National Park, The Biography of THE CAT FERRIES.CA National Monument, the core of George Bucknam Dorr," published in 2016 today's Acadia National Park. by Friends of Acadia. It is available locally In effect, Dorr's priorities shifted and online at Sherman's Book Store and the during the first decade of the 20th- Bar Harbor Bookshop. BOOK PROFILES CREATING ACADIA FOUNDER ACADIA Copies of Creating Acadia National NATIONAL PARK Park, The Biography of George RONALD H. EPP Bucknam Dorr by Ronald Epp can be picked up at Sherman's Bookstore in The Biography of George Bucknam Dorr Bar Harbor, the Bar Harbor Book Shop in Hulls Cove, the Eastern National gift shop at the Acadia National Park Visitor Center (seasonal), and at the Friends of Acadia Office on Cottage Street in Bar Harbor. For links to order a copy online please visit friendsofacadia.org/epp. 18 Summer 2010 Friends of Acadia Journal 5/22/2019 Xfinity Connect Sent RE: Ron Epp & Psychical Research at Oldfarm 5/23/12 RONALD EPP 4:50 PM To Earl Brechlin 1 attachment View Open in browser Download Hi Earl, I left a message in your office earlier in this afternoon while I continued to revise the first draft in light of your comments. The attached draft addresses your question of whether there was "an element of these visitors connecting with nature," that I articulate in the first paragraph and the the last two. I have underscored all new content though I have deleted some sentences im passim. But it is also longer now! One idea I had would be to add a sidebar and extracting a fuller set of quotes from paragraph five, shortening the main narrative and drawing attention to the appreciation of Nature expressed in the pages of the Oldfarm guestbook. What do you think? Your thoughts? Ron Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D. 7 Peachtree Terrace Farmington, CT 06032