BAR HARBOR HORSE SHOWS AND ROBINHOOD PARK

The Maine Memory Network says "In 1900 Colonel Edward Morrell of Philadelphia made the park grounds on his land available to the newly founded Horse Show and Fair Association in Bar Harbor."
In the early 1900's horse races were also held there, with the race trace being at the location of where Jaclson Labs is located today.  Robin Hood Park also had a  campground, located on the grounds of today's Bear Brook Picnic Area in Acadia National Park.  On a tip, we visited the picnic area and walked into the woods at the far right off the picnic area.  In a short time we located a number of standing fence posts that were once connected with that race track, as well as a number of posts either leaning or laying on the ground.

ROBIN HOOD PARK HORSE SHOW

We followed the fence posts all the way to the rear of the buildings on Jackson Labs property.  It was pretty cool knowing we had located a historic site in the middle of nowhere and that after all those years a number of the fence posts were still standing today.

BEAR BROOK PICNIC AREA - Once home to a campground connected to Robin Hood Park

At the United States History website I found the following, "Colonel and Mrs. Louise Drexel Morrell built St. Edwards Convent in 1916 and gave it to The Holy Redeemer Church. Col. Edward Morrell and Louise's likenesses can be seen in stained glass windows in the chapel on the second floor. Louise Morrell was a sister to St. Katherine Drexel, who was canonized in 2000. The convent is now the home of the Bar Harbor Historical Society Museum."
From the book, Bar Harbor in the roaring Twenties, it says the town helped create the Bar Harbor horse shows as a way to attract people to the area.  It goes on to say "Summer Resident and horse lover

REMAINS OF ROBIN HOOD PARK FENCE - in woods behind Jackson Lab

Philip Livingston stepped in as President and used his blue blood connections to ensure that high society would patronize the event."  With his leadership the the Bar Harbor horse shows went on to become one of the premier events along the East Coast.
The book also states that Robin Hood Park was also where the Morrell estate was located.  It is interesting to note that many of the winners of the Bar Harbor horse shows went on to the National Horse Show which was held in Madison Square Garden, so you can see that Robin Hood Park was a pretty big deal back than.
In the book, "Indians in Eden: Wabanakis and Rusticators on Maine's Mt. Desert" it says Edward Morrill made his land at Robinhood Park available to the Bar Harbor horse shows that were taking place at the horse track at Kebo Golf Course.

The very first KEBO VALLEY GOLF CLUB

the book states that during the 1890's, Kebo Valley grounds were developed to include tennis courts, croquet lawns, a ball field and a golf course, as well as a race track where horses from the Pulitzer family competed for the coveted "Cottager's Cup."  It states that members from the Sears and Van Nest families, among others, attended these events.  It also goes on to say that for a dozen years the Robin Hood Park area was home to the Bar Harbor Horse shows.  These horse shows continued for many years, with a young son of John D. Rockefeller - David Rockefeller riding his pony Sunset in the 1925 "Fancy Dress" Competition.  It goes on to state that ten year old David won the event.

TODAYS JACKSON LAB - ONCE HOME OF ROBINHOOD PARK

JACKSON LABORATORY
BAR HARBOR MAINE