"Acadia's Founder." 7. O. A. Journal 6,*2(Summer 2001) 8 ACADIA'S FOUNDER Ronald Epp, Ph.D. One of the most popular tourist stops on manufacturing. Charles served in the Mas- the Park Loop Road is the Wild Gardens of sachusetts legislature and political discus- Acadia, nestled beneath the jutting facade sion was a family constant. Following the of Dorr Mountain. Visitors routinely walk Civil War, the Dorrs established themselves to the nearby Abbe Museum and the Sieur in Bar Harbor and purchased the Old Farm de Monts Spring. Few take notice of a property in Cromwell Harbor that would prominent memorial adjacent to the Nature become Mr. Dorr's principle residence un- Center, midway between the spring and til his death sixty-five years later. garden. Tarnished and difficult to read, the Provincialism was not the source of the stone fragment relocated from the top of family's affection for MDI. Repeated travel Cadillac Mountain is inscribed: to the Continent and the western states pro- vided Mr. Dorr with a dimension of educa- IN MEMORY OF tion that he could not find within the Harvard GEORGE BUCKNAM DORR 1853-1944 yard. In fact, the daily editions of The Lon- Gentleman Scholar Lover of Nature don Times, The Boston Herald, and The New Father of this NATIONAL PARK York Times provided him with "a great politi- Steadfast in his zeal to make the cal education, the best the world could give beauties of this island available to all. [since these newspapers] reflect the move- This memorial was dedicated August 29, ment of the world and are better than books." 1947, not by the Federal Government but Mr. Dorr shared with his mother a scien- by the Hancock County Trustees of Public tific, aesthetic, and commercial interest in Reservations (Trustees). Destroyed by the horticulture, and both assumed growing du- Fire of '47, the current memorial is the back- Dorr and friends 1926 ties with the Bar Harbor Village Improvement drop every summer for thousands of posed achievement are sketchy at best. The ex- Society. As the 20th century approached and snapshots. Few visitors make the effort to ception is the insightful Trails of History he grieved the loss of immediate family, Mr. learn more about the gentleman honored by trails enthusiasts Tom St. Germain and Dorr's inheritance permitted the acquisition by this memorial. While it is more com- Jay Saunders. of parcels of MDI real estate. In time proper- monly known that Harvard University Presi- George Dorr's The Story of Acadia Na- ties would be given to cultivate the arts, to dent Charles W. Eliot originated the idea tional Park offers the reader perhaps more erect a library, and to foster the establish- of an organization to protect the scenic than they wish to know of the political ment of an island biological laboratory. splendors of Mount Desert Island (MDI), complexities faced by those who sought One achievement of lasting significance the magnitude of Mr. Dorr's efforts to ex- to preserve exceptionally scenic Mount for the park grew out of his considerable tend and administer the development of Desert Island properties for the perpetual historical interest in the celebrated 1604 Acadia is little understood. Many may be use of the public. But to understand the MDI coastline voyages of the French navi- unfamiliar with aspects of the conserva- "Founder" we must look beyond his pub- gator Pierre du Gua, Sieur de Monts. In tion legacy of Acadia's Founder. It is espe- lications, even the fascinating studies of 1909, Mr. Dorr purchased a spring at the cially fitting during the Trustees' centen- MDI flora and fauna, geology, and history base of Dry (later Dorr) Mountain and built nial celebration to retrace both familiar and that span the 23 Sieur de Monts Publica- an enclosure for the renamed Sieur de Monts little understood characteristics of its first tions. Mr. Dorr's life prior to the 1901 es- Spring. The site was the cornerstone of his Vice President. tablishment of the Trustees and his admin- efforts to amass contiguous properties. Re- It is disconcerting to find that Mr. Dorr istrative roles as Park Superintendent for alizing the political threats to the tax-free has been largely ignored by both popular- nearly three decades offer rich opportuni- status of Trustee land holdings, Mr. Dorr izers and the academic community. No his- ties for the serious researcher. concluded that the preservation of these torian has chosen him as a biographical George Dorr was the younger of two properties could only be assured through na- subject, his extensive writings have not sons born to Mary and Charles Hazen Dorr, tional park status. Deeds were assembled, been subjected to literary analysis, and the prominent Bostonians who had accumulated maps were drawn, and title abstracts were few publications that even allude to his wealth from international trade and textile gathered to support arguments for a Na- Friends of Acadia Journal Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop 141 Cottage Street Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 207-288-3886 In support of safe cycling in Acadia www.bondbuilders.com BOND BUILDERS PO BOX 155 HULLS COVE, MAINE 04644 "Old Farm" Telephone (207) 288-5320 tional Monument, founded in 1916. Through defended preserving the landscape as rough persistent lobbying Lafayette National Park and wild while others championed accom- The Burning Tree was established three years later. modations to culture and accessibility. The While Charles W. Eliot and John D. correspondence and summary reports con- GOURMET SEAFOOD Rockefeller, Jr. had a larger public profile, tained in both the National Archives and the VEGETARIAN SPECIALITIES it was Mr. Dorr's strategic planning, finan- Rockefeller Archive Center reveal a remark- Surning cial ingenuity, and behind-the-scenes ne- able treasury of arguments regarding public gotiating skill that convinced a reluctant benevolence versus private control, solitary Washington establishment to accept the trail access contrasted with populated road- Trustees holdings as a national reserve. ways, town meeting democracy versus Route 3 Otter Creek 5 Miles from Bar Harbor Open Daily from 5:00 pm 288-9331 President Coolidge's January 1929 signature Gilded Age elitism. authorized the purchase of additional prop- The pursuit of Mr. Dorr leaves a number erty for the renamed Acadia National Park of important questions for further investiga- This collective achievement rests on the phi- tion. What environmental factors contrib- STEWART BRECHER ARCHITECTS lanthropy of MDI benefactors Daniel Brewer, uted to the evolution of Mr. Dorr's conser- member of the American Institutes of Architects Eliza L. Homans, John S. Kennedy, Fred C. vation strategy? What qualities inspired the PROVIDING RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AND PUBLIC Lynam, George L. Stebbins, and Guy E. Torrey, confidence of Eliot and other prominent ARCHITECTURE AND CONSULTING to name but a few. Rusticators? What character traits did Mr. THROUGHOUT MAINE since 1982 One of the first site administrators of Dorr display that led the richest man in 93 Cottage Street, Suite F Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 the newly formed National Park Service, America to collaborate with him in develop- Tel 207 288 3747 Fax 207 288 4470 www.sbrecherarchictecs.com Mr. Dorr sought to apply key objectives ment of the park infrastructure? Did Dorr's articulated by Eliot in The Right Develop- interactions with the Astors, Carnegies, J.P. ment of Mount Desert For nearly thirty years Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, and the Vanderbilts this Old Farm bachelor showed remark- influence his conservation ethic? How did able flexibility in his administrative efforts the blindness of the lanky Old Farm gentle- to accommodate the very precise wishes man both thwart and motivate his efforts to of JDR, Jr. for routing and landscaping the foster public awareness of the riches of more than fifty miles of carriage roads and Acadia? Fortunately, accessible archival re- Cadillac Mountain Sports bridges that provide a "green" alternative positories provide anyone with the documen- maine's performance outfitter to the Loop Road that he also financed. For tation to resolve such questions - and three 26 Cottage Street 32 High Street 6 Central Street several decades some islanders vigorously are no further away than Bar Harbor! Bar Harbor, ME 04609 Ellsworth ME 04605 Bangor. ME 04401 207-288-4532 207-667-7819 207-941-5670 Ronald Epp is Director of Libraries at the University of Hartford. A professor of environmental ethics. his research is aimed at a full-length biography of Acadia's founder. 10 Friends of Acadia Journal Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop 141 Cottage Street Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 207-288-3886 In support of safe cycling in Acadia www.bondbuilders.com BOND BUILDERS PO BOX 155 HULLS ÇOVE, MAINE 04644 "Old Farm" Telephone (207) 288-5320 tional Monument, founded in 1916. Through defended preserving the landscape as rough persistent lobbying Lafayette National Park and wild while others championed accom- The Burning Tree was established three years later. modations to culture and accessibility. The GOURMET SEAFOOD While Charles W. Eliot and John D. correspondence and summary reports con- VEGETARIAN SPECIALITIES Rockefeller, Jr. had a larger public profile, tained in both the National Archives and the it was Mr. Dorr's strategic planning, finan- Rockefeller Archive Center reveal a remark- Surning cial ingenuity, and behind-the-scenes ne- able treasury of arguments regarding public gotiating skill that convinced a reluctant benevolence versus private control, solitary Washington establishment to accept the trail access contrasted with populated road- Trustees' holdings as a national reserve. ways, town meeting democracy versus Route 3 Otter Creek 5 Miles from Bar Harbor Open Daily from 5:00 pm 288-9331 President Coolidge's January 1929 signature Gilded Age elitism. authorized the purchase of additional prop- The pursuit of Mr. Dorr leaves a number erty for the renamed Acadia National Park. of important questions for further investiga- This collective achievement rests on the phi- tion. What environmental factors contrib- STEWART BRECHER ARCHITECTS lanthropy of MDI benefactors Daniel Brewer, uted to the evolution of Mr. Dorr's conser- member of the American Institutes of Architects Eliza L. Homans, John S. Kennedy, Fred C. vation strategy? What qualities inspired the PROVIDING RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL AND PUBLIC Lynam, George L. Stebbins, and Guy E. Torrey, confidence of Eliot and other prominent ARCHITECTURE AND CONSULTING to name but a few. Rusticators? What character traits did Mr. THROUGHOUT MAINE since 1982 One of the first site administrators of Dorr display that led the richest man in 93 Cottage Street, Suite F Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 the newly formed National Park Service, America to collaborate with him in develop- Tel 207 288 3747 Fax 207 288 4470 www.sbrecherarchictecs.com Mr. Dorr sought to apply key objectives ment of the park infrastructure? Did Dorr's articulated by Eliot in The Right Develop- interactions with the Astors, Carnegies, J.P. ment of Mount Desert. For nearly thirty years Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, and the Vanderbilts this Old Farm bachelor showed remark- influence his conservation ethic? How did able flexibility in his administrative efforts the blindness of the lanky Old Farm gentle- to accommodate the very precise wishes man both thwart and motivate his efforts to of JDR, Jr. for routing and landscaping the foster public awareness of the riches of more than fifty miles of carriage roads and Acadia? Fortunately, accessible archival re- Cadillac Mountain Sports bridges that provide a "green" alternative positories provide anyone with the documen- maine's performance outfitter to the Loop Road that he also financed. For tation to resolve such questions - and three 26 Cottage Street 32 High Street 6 Central Street several decades some islanders vigorously are no further away than Bar Harbor! Bar Harbor, ME 04609 Ellsworth, ME 04605 Bangor, ME 04401 207-288-4532 207-667-7819 207-941-5670 Ronald Epp is Director of Libraries at the University of Hartford. A professor of environmental ethics, bis research is aimed at a full-length biography of Acadia's founder. 10 Friends of Acadia Journal Vol. 6, #2 Marla Major Stewardship Director August 20, 2001 Ronald Epp, Ph.D. 137 Salem Drive Cromwell, CT 06416 Dear Ron, Enclosed are two copies of the Friends of Acadia Journal, with my thanks for your article about "Acadia's Founder". George Dorr was such an important force in the preservation of what is now Acadia National Park, that one forgets many who love Acadia might know little, if anything, about him. Again, thank you for helping us inform our readers about George Dorr's role in creating Acadia National Park. Sincerely, Marla Major P.O. BOX 45 Enclosures BAR HARBOR MAINE 04609 207 288-3340 207 288-8938 FAX Friends of ACADIA