COMPASS HARBOR AND OLD FARM

Compass Harbor is one of the biggest kept secrets in Acadia national Park, and the Park Service wants to keep it that way.  The nature trail which runs a loop through Compass Harbor offers the visitor a chance to sight many different species of birds, including a variety of woodpeckers and owls.  Deer wander the woods here as does wild turkeys, and on the nearby Dorr Pond one can spot wild birds near the shore as well as wild ducks on the pond.
The National Park Service considers the grounds of Compass Harbor to be of historical significance, mainly because the man considered to be the Father of Acadia national Park, George B. Dorr, had his summer estate located here, for which the remains of lie on a hilltop in the woods with the main trail leading you to them.  Without the money and tireless work of Mr. Dorr, there most likely would not be National park in Maine.
Mr Dorr was a man of great vision, yet in some areas his vision was limited, for he might never of left his estate, Old Farm, and its other buildings to the National Park had he foreseen them tearing them down after his passing.
Supporters of Dorr have tried for many years to get the National Park Service to recolonize him by placing a monument in his honor at Compass harbor, but the Park Service has refused to entertain such requests from the public.  All of the buildings Mr. Dorr owned were torn down by the Park Service but one, that being Storm Beach Cottage, a charming older cottage up on a hillside along the Old Farm Road, which runs along one side of Compass Harbor property.  It was at Storm Beach Cottage where Mr. Dorr lived out his final years, where from a window he could look out over the land he so loved, and see the lands that made up The Mount Desert Nurseries, a business he owned.

SMALL BEACH AT COMPASS HARBOR - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

Should you decide to hike even a section of the Schooner head Trail, which begins at the Compass Harbor path, it will lead you to a tiny parking area on the Old Farm Road, where it crosses the road, just a few yardsfurther and to the right is the Dorr Pond, a favorite spot for wild ducks.  A little further along the trail and you begin to see pipes sticking out of the ground along the side of the trail, these were once part of the watering system for the Mount Desert Nurseries.
Back at Compass Harbor, in the nearby woods are foundations, one being the foundation of a hot house that was once used by the nursery business.  A foundation for a servants quarters is also located in the nearby woods.
 An excerpt taken from a newspaper story recently read, "A “cultural landscape assessment” of the former Bar Harbor estate of George Dorr, a founder of Acadia National Park and its first superintendent, will be conducted to find and inventory remnants of the main house, outbuildings, gardens and other significant features."
The newspaper story goes on to say, " The privately funded landscape assessment will help Acadia officials make decisions about the future management and protection of the property."

STORM BEACH COTTAGE
OLD FARM ROAD
Compass Harbor - Acadia National Park

On a hot summer afternoon groups of locals can be seen along the Compass Harbor Trail, making their way to one of several swimming spots along the shore of Compass harbor.  At one spot along the trail is a long series of stone steps which run uphill through the woods, it makes for an impressive photo.  At the top of the steps lies the remains of the Dorr Estate, but not far from the base of the steps, just yards away, is a very steep cliff overlooking a hidden beach.  To the left of the cliff,  look for a worn path leading through the trees and out onto the rocky shoreline, go right a short ways to step down onto the beach.  In the evenings sometimes young people come here to play an instrument or two.
Along the trail you will also find a set of stone steps which led to Mr. Dorr's favorite swimming area.  To access the shoreline of the Harbor itself, which is steep in places, look for worn paths leading down to the shore below.
From there you can follow the shore inward from the sea, as it rounds the corner there is a beautiful swimming hole area there.  If your on the main trail look for a faint trail leading along the cliffs but to the left, this comes up to private property, but just a short ways further is a worn path down to that inviting swimming hole area.

STONE STEPS AT COMPASS HARBOR - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

And than there's the foundation of Old farm itself, the name of the Dorr estate, perched up on a hill top with old towering tree's all around it.  If you find Compass Harbor you will have no problem finding the site of Old Farm - the trail is well worn.  Exploring off the worn trail you can find areas of old stone work that were once park of Mr Dorr's gardens, as well as one or two other foundations that were most likely where the servants quarters were located.

OLD FARM - COMPASS HARBOR - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

The main trail itself pretty much does a loop through the woods and along the ocean with a very long section of stone steps leading uphill to the site of Old Farm.  I had always thought that was the only area with long stone steps, but the other day I located a second set of stone steps which lead down to the area of the larger beach - though this second pathway is not well worn and not so easy to find.

DUCK AT DORR POND - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

If you follow the Schooner Head trail onward it comes out onto the Schooner Head road, and continues on to Schooner Head Overlook.  A narrow paved trail from the Parking lot there leads down to high cliffs overlooking the ocean, and just below those cliffs is Anemone Cave, which can only be entered at low tide.  Over the years I have read and heard about people being trapped in this old sea cave and drowning and for years I tried to find some documentation  on this.  Recently I did find an old newspaper article of just such a case where two students from a local college entered the cave and got trapped in it, one narrowly escaped and the other drowned - I have the story posted on my blog DEATHS IN ACADIA NATIONAL PARK.

Back to compass Harbor, like I said, if your not from the area it can be a bit tricky to find, as it is unmarked.  Even the parking lot is tiny and only fits a few cars and it is hidden somewhat from the main road by tree's and brush.  As your driving along Main Street in Bar Harbor heading toward Otter Creek, you will pass the Grand Motel, the Bar Harbor YMCA and the town ball fields - all on the right.  The road rounds a corner and heads down a section of flat roadway, but just as the road begins to go uphill, to the left look for a tiny parking area on the left, it is unmarked and that is the start of Compass Harbor.  If you drive pass the Old Farm road, the Schooner Head Road or the Jackson Labs complex, you went too far.
To the far right corner of the unmarked parking lot is the start of an unmarked trail, that is the Compass Harbor Trail.
Below I will post a few other photos we took the other day at Compass Harbor.

COMPASS HARBOR PATH - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

With all of its beauty and wildlife, along with its historic value, one has to wonder why the national Park Service refuses to acknowledge George B. Dorr with some type of monument, after all, the man often referred to as the Father Of Acadia national Park deserves to have the ground he called home acknowledged in some fashion.  Without Mr. Dorr's vision, and more importantly, leadership and money, Acadia national Park may very well never come to be.

SECOND PATH WITH STONE STEPS, COMPASS HARBOR, ACADIA

UPDATE:  
A little bit of credit has to be given to the National Park Service, as on my last visit to Compass Harbor I found they had put up a sign giving a little information on Old Farm and George B. Dorr.  The sign is in the woods, near the start of the Compass Harbor Trail.  The parking lot remains unmarked and easy to miss unless your looking for it.   While it is not a monument, I guess one could say it is a baby step in that direction.

UPDATE;

For some time now I have been trying to find a natural landmark of some kind to let people know where the tiny unmarked parking lot is for Compass Harbor.  Well, today, as we approached the parking lot, I once again said, too bad there isn't something we could use as a landmark for this parking lot, and my son replied, yeah, well, there's that mailbox on the other side of the road.  Bingo, why had I not seen that mail box before now, so as your leaving town, heading along route 3 toward Otter Creek, you will pass the YMCA and town ballfields, up ahead be looking for a white mail box on a box very close to the side of the road, nearly impossible to miss, with the number 399 on it, the unmarked Compass Harbor parking lot is directly across from that mail box.

Mail Box 399 - Compass Harbor Parking Lot directly across the road
Acadia National Park

 

GPS MAP - COMPASS HARBOR - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

WHERE SCHOONER HEAD TRAIL CROSSES OLD FARM ROAD - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

NICE SWIMMING AREA - COMPASS HARBOR
Acadia National Park

WILD TURKEY NEAR DORR POND - COMPASS HARBOR, ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

FOUR SEASONS OF BAR HARBOR MAINE VIDEO

WOODPECKER BY DORR POND - COMPASS HARBOR - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

CADILLAC MOUNTAIN'S HIDDEN WATERFALL

Today we once again entered the forest of Acadia National Park, not in a quest of an abandoned or lost trail but to simply see what nature would offer us, and nature did not disappoint.

I think there is something to be said for a waterfall that spends a great deal of time with its voice down to a whisper, as though intentionally trying to stay hidden, exposing itself now and again when a bruised sky unleashes its watery burdens, and all of nature rises up on the tips of their toes drinking in the sweet cool relief on hot summer days.  At times like these, the once hidden and almost silent waterfall throws open her arms and gathers in as much as the clouds above will offer, its times like these that the magnificent power of the falls rears its voice as torrents of water spill down the mountainside, water as white as January snow cascading down long tall walls of granite, nearly drowning out the birdsongs in the lofty trees long after the rains have departed.  It is a memorable site to behold, while at its base a large swimming hole of calm water so crystal clear you can count the pebbles on its deep cool bottom. 

Cadillac Mountain - Hidden Waterfall - Acadia National Park

The waters from the mountain spill down the mountainside into this quiet pool of water, I think on a hot summer day I might just return here to take a dip in the cool shade of the surrounding tree's.

So the above photo is a built up wall that you come to shortly after entering the woods to follow the stream uphill.  In the past we have come here and sat while listening to the singing stream rush past as it moves downhill and passes beneath the Park Loop Road.  So exactly where do you find this stream with its many cascades and waterfalls?

It's the same direction  as for the Green Mountain Railroad trail pretty much.  Drive along the park loop road in the direction of Bubble pond and Jordan Pond.  Once you come to the Cadillac Summit road keep driving past it and continue on past the first pull over on the right.  Stop at the second pull over and park.  Now walk back up the road back in the direction you just came for a short ways, to where a fast moving stream passes through the woods and under the roadway.  You will want to enter the woods on the left hand side of the stream, as some of the best views can't be seen from the other side.

To reach the area with the nice pool of water and the waterfall you do not need to go in too far, as you can at see the road from the falls.. 

Hidden Waterfall of Cadillac Mountain - Acadia National Park

Some one emailed me and asked if the large pool of water beneath the waterfall was deep enough to swim in, and I can tell you the water is crystal clear as it can be and fairly deep.



Pull Over
latitude       44 21' 32"N
longitude     68 14' 28"W
enter woods at
latitude        44 21' 34"N
longitude      68 14' 27"W
To side of brook
latitude        44 21' 34"N
longitude      68 14' 26"W
waterfall
latitude        44 21' 34"N
longitude      68 14' 25"W




SOUNDS OF NATURE - WITCH HOLE BROOK

BUBBLE POND
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

ABANDONED WITCH HOLE POND MARSH TRAIL

Sorry if you read this earlier and saw the somewhat confusing map I had put up of this newly discovered abandoned trail, which I am calling the Witch Hole Pond Trail.  Being an abandoned or ghost trail, it has no trail markings or trail head, but on a return trip back to the area we discovered something just as good as a trail head.

WITCH HOLE POND - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

As the Witch Hole Pond Carriage Road turns away from Witch Hole Pond, it follows the edge of a marsh for a very short ways uphill, before turning away from the marsh.  Right in front of you, there will be three different carriage road sign posts, the one closest to you has a well worn trail that begins right next to it - that is the abandoned Witch Hole Pond Trail.

Witch Hole Pond Marsh Trail - Abandoned Trails of Acadia National Park

CASCADES OF WITCH HOLE BROOK - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

Years ago there was old roads and hiking trails all throughout this area, but all were abandoned over time, the old roads replaced with the Carriage Roads and the Hiking trails left to fade into time.
This abandoned trail once ran all the way to the pond's edge and than followed the pond looping around it.  A vanishing section of the trail around one edge of Witch Hole Pond can still be followed today for a short distance.

So the very first of the three sign posts is key to finding the start of the trail.  It goes into the woods a very short ways before coming to an intersection, turn right and head toward the marsh.  The trail left goes a very short ways back to the carriage road.

DIRT PULL OVER BEFORE PARK LOOP ROAD SPLITS

TRAIL COMES OUT BY PARK LOOP ROAD - DIRT PULL OVER TO LEFT

You quickly come to a second intersection, go left, and keep following the edge of the marsh.  The trail right goes a very short ways back to the carriage road.


Even though I just discovered it, it is clear by how worn it is that the abandoned trail is very much in use today by locals, and no doubt park staff wanting quick access to the Witch Hole Pond area.
As you make your way along the trail there is a hill over looking the trail and old maps show where 3 to 4 houses were once located up on that hill.  We did some exploring and were able to locate only one sunken foundation.  I recall reading that back than some of those houses were nothing more than log cabins.


We went down the back side of that hill and came to an old dirt road which we followed through the woods - it came to a large marsh I had never seen before.  The dirt road kept following the edge of the marsh but water from the marsh along with thick brush soon over took the old road and we could not follow it any further.

WITCH HOLE POND - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

WITCH HOLE POND CARRIAGE ROAD - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

SUNSET - WITCH HOLE POND - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

Acadia National Park 

Abandoned Trails Guide Map

ABANDONED TRAILS OF ACADIA NATIONAL PARK - The Book
Available Now in Libraries

ABANDONED TRAILS THE BOOK

Finally our dream of putting out a book version of Abandoned Trails of Acadia National Park.  For a number of years we have been wanting to do this, and so far the libraries that have gotten a copy of it have had positive things to say about it.

Click on the link below to download your free PDF copy of the book;
ABANDONED TRAILS OF ACADIA NATIONAL PARK - THE BOOK - 2019 Edition

ABANDONED TRAILS OF ACADIA NATIONAL PARK - THE BOOK

If you live in an area where the book is not available at your local library, most libraries today have a free inter-library loan program where they can borrow the book from a library that does  have a copy of the book.

Abandoned Trails Of Acadia National Park  - a list of some of the libraries where you can take out a copy of the book.

Jesup Memorial Library - Bar Harbor

Southwest Harbor Library - Southwest Harbor

Bass Harbor Memorial Library - Bernard,

Bangor Public Library - Bangor, Maine

Ellsworth Public Library - Ellsworth, Maine

Northeast Harbor Library - Northeast Harbor

Waterville Public Library, Waterville Maine

Newport Public Library, Newport Maine

Portor Memorial Library, Machias Maine

Maine State Library, Augusta, Maine

Portland Public Library - Portland, Maine

South Portland Public Library, Sou8th Portland

Lithgow Public Library - Augusta, Maine

Brewer Public Library - Brewer, Maine

New York Public Library - Fifth Ave.

Boston Public Library - Boylston St.

Gorham Public Library, Gorham NH




Just an update, I want to thank the many libraries who gave us positive feedback on our book and who are listing it in their collections.  We will continue to make the book available to more and more libraries - hopefully some out of state.

A MEMORIAL TO THOSE WHO HAVE DIED

This is a memorial to those who have died or lost their life in Acadia National Park.  The Park Service has told us they do not keep such statistics so we have had to do a lot of research to come up with the information we have.  Gaps between dates does not mean no one died or lost their life in the park that year, it only means we have yet to locate any deaths for those years.  We never realize just how precious life is until someone we love loses theirs.

 April 2016 - Timothy Philpott, age 50, remains found on Parkman Mountain in Acadia National Park.

June 2016 - Mark Simon, age 68, fell from a bluff between Sand Beach and Thunder Hole while attempting to get a photo of a sunset.

July 2016 - Nathan Savage, age 39, died after swimming across Echo Lake.

Sept. 2016 - Abdulrahman M. Alamer, age 21, died after crashing his motorcycle on the Cadillac Summit road.

June 2015 -  Christian Linwood Emigh-Doyle, age 23, died after falling from Duck Brook Bridge along the Paradise Hill Road.

June 2012 - John Baer, age 85, found dead along Schooner Head Trail - the death was not suspicious.

July 2012 -  Shirley Ladd, age 22, died after a fall on the Precipice.

July 2012 - 38 year old man committed  suicide atop Cadillac Mountain.

Jan.  2011 - Duncan Rosborough, 52, was found dead in the park on the Paradise Hill loop trail around 6:45 a.m. Sunday,  after he failed to show up after doing some sking.  It appears he died of nature causes.

Aug. 2009 - Clio Dahyun Axilrod, age 7, was swept off rocks by waves during Hurricane Bill and drown.

Aug.  2000 - Man falls to his death on the Beehive.

Oct. 2008 - Corey O'Brian, age 23, died in the park after a fall from his skate board.

June 2007 - Faith M. Wise, age 56, drown in the area of Schoodic Point.

Aug.  2005 - Stephen Chan, age 22, drown while swimming in Echo Lake.

March 2004 - Benjamin A. Ellis, 21, found dead on Great Hill, an apparent suicide.

April 2004 - Stephen Kennedy, age 63, died after crashing his bike into a closed gate on the Otter cliffs road.

2004 - Emil Lin, in his 20's, drown at Otter Cliffs after attempting to retrieve his shoe from the ocean.

2004 - Joanne Demartini, age 50, dies after falling from a cliff near Sand Beach.

Oct. 2000 - Leslee R. Larson, age 50, murdered after husband pushed her from Otter cliff to collect insurance money.

1999 -  Robert Croteau, age 51, and his wife Margaret, age 63, posed for a photo by the water at  Schoodic Point when a wave swept them out to sea - both drown.

1997 - Michael Domino, age 37, died after falling from an icy ledge on the Precipice.

1997 - Shon Lewis died at the Hulls Cove Visitors Center parking lot after losing control of his snowmobile and crashing into tree's.

Aug. 1993 - a 17 year old boy died after falling from a cliff along the ocean behind Blackwoods Campground.

Oct. 1993 - Douglas Rose, age 20, a student at college of the atlantic, drown after becoming trapped by rising tide in Anemone cave.

1989 - Bartholomew Keohane, age 50, a Prist, died after falling from  Mansell Mountain.

June 1977 - Leslie Spellman, age 27, murdered while on vacation in Acadia National Park, her body was discovered in the tranquil Asticou Azalea Gardens in Northeast Harbor - her murder has still not been solved.

Oct. 1977 - Fritz Millett, age 22, died from a fall on the Beehive.

June 1970 - Air Force Captain Robert McGaunn died after crashing his plane during bad weather into the side of Cedar swamp Mountain.

1969 - David McKinney, age 19, swept to sea by waves at Great Head while attempting to explore a cave.

Sept. 1963 -  Gerard D.F. Poisson, drowned by Thunder Hole.

1949 - Mrs. Millicent Quinn, age 39, swept off rocks by waves Sept. 1949 and drowned along Ocean Drive.

July 1939 - A young boy working with the C.C.C. Clarence D. Thurlow, died after falling from  a cliff on Beech Mountain.

Nov. 1938 - Park Ranger Karl Andrew Jacobson, while on boundary patrol in Acadia National Park, died after being shot by a  poacher.

Aug. 1934 - Miss Emily McDougall, age 25, was washed out to sea by waves and drowned by Thunder Hole.

Aug. 1932 - Joseph Meuse - age 12, died Aug. 1932 whilr playing at Bakers Island Lighthouse.

May 1931 - Bert H. Young, drown on Long Pond following a boating accident.

Sept. 1929 - Dennis Doonan, dynamite man for the Mccabe Company, was killed after a blasting accident while helping construct the Cadillac summit road.

Dec. 1909 - Adren L. Peach, age 9, fell through ice and drowned at Eagle Lake on Christmas Day wearing a pair of ice skates he recieved as a gift that morning.

Aug. 3, 1853 - Lucreatia K. Douglas, age 12, died after falling from a ledge near the Great Cave.  She may be the youngest person to have died on the Precipice.

TWO DEATHS I WILL NEVER FORGET

For me, there are two deaths that I will never forget which occurred in Acadia National Park.  One was a close friend of my son's, his name was Christian Linwood Emigh-Doyle and he was only 23 when he somehow fell from the bridge over Duck Brook.  I had seen him in town often and he had been over to our house now and than to see my son.  Three days before his death i remember answering a knock at the door, it was Christian, he was wearing a pair of sunglasses and smiling, he wanted to know if my son was home and I told him he wasn't, that he might be in town.  He said to tell him he had stopped by and left, it was the last time I saw him alive.
The other death was a total stranger, the young mans name was Michael Domino, and he was only 37 years old.  It is not something that is easy to talk about because it was a death that did not have to happen.  That night me and my oldest son were making out way down the Bear Brook Trail on Champlain Mountain, we had gone up earlier in the day, but got slowed up because the trail was very slippery, and we found ourselves running out of light.   We had to use flashlights as we got closer to the bottom of the trail, I had a thick winter hat on and a hood over my head and thought I heard a sound behind us.  We stopped and stared upward for a few minutes but saw no sign of any lights, and turned and continued back down the trail when Michael Domino came up behind us - I was shocked, not because he was out on the mountain with no light, but because of how he was dressed.  He had on a light jogging suit and a pair of sneakers, that was it...no winter hat, no gloves, no coat, this guy was dressed for a summer jog in the middle of winter on a night when it was cold as hell.  I said to him, you didn't just hike this mountain dressed like that, did you?  He laughed and said he had, that he hiked this mountain as often as he could.  He said he was from a state that had no mountains and that he had become fascinated with the Precipice trail.  We came off the trail and down onto the loop road and I asked him, you didn't hike up the Precipice Trail tonight did you?  He laughed and said, yeah, it was his favorite trail to hike.  I told him how dangerous that trail was in good weather and that people had fallen off it to their death. he just smiled and said he planned on hiking the Precipice tomorrow night.  He said he worked at Jackson Lab and left his car over in the parking lot when he hiked the precipice after work, with that he smiled and wished us a good night and jogged off into the darkness in the direction of the Bear Brook Picnic Area, which makes sense since there is a short cut path that goes right into the Jackson Lab parking lot.  I turned to my son and said, can you believe the way that guy was dressed...we just spoke to a dead guy.
By that, I did not mean nor expect the guy to die the following day, what I meant by that statement was that anyone who did not respect nature and the weather was not going to be around long.  One does not hike the Precipice in the middle of winter dressed like that many times and live to tell about it.
The following night we were into it, a major storm, and I was setting in front of the TV set with a hot cup of coco when I heard over the police scanner that some ones wife had called and reported her husband had not come home and that she was worried about him.  The police located the guys car over at the Jackson Lab parking lot, I heard it on the scanner but never thought they might be looking for the very guy we had run into the night before.  The weather was so bad they didn't locate the guy that night and the following day I heard they had finally located his body on the side of the Precipice below a ledge, his body was said to be twisted in a way that there was no question he was dead.  It than hit me, because i heard the guy was not dressed for this kind of weather, that this very well may be the guy we talked to the night before, and as it turned out it was.

And what makes it even more tragic is the fact that he left behind a wife and a 6 year old daughter.

THE ANNE M. ARCHBOLD ESTATE

ANNE ARCHBOLD COTTAGE
CLEFTSTONE ROAD, BAR HARBOR

Archbold Cottage, located on the West side of Cleftstone road, burned in the fire of 1947.  The land the cottage was built on was once owned by Charles T. How.  The following appeared in the Bar Harbor record, a local newspaper, on March 30, 1904, and in part read;

An Italian Villa

An unique innovation to Bar Harbor's archltecture.

One of the most unique houses ever built in the village, and one that is perhaps, for its size, the most expensive, is that now in process of construction for Miss Ann Archbold.  Miss Archbold is a native of Tarrytown, N.Y., and has passed several seasons at Seal Harbor.  She is an artist of no little talent and has spent many years of travel and study in Europe.  The idea for her cottage was conceived from the beautiful castles in Italy, and in Paris a tiny model, perfect in every detail, was made for the proposed villa.

ANNE ARCHBOLD COTTAGE
Cleftstone Road, Bar Harbor

It was some time before a suitable location could be found, and Bar Harbor and surrounding resorts were thoroughly inspected.  Finally Miss Archbold purchased some four acres on the Cleftstone road and the house is being erected on a slight eminence which gives a beautiful view.  Its appearance from the road is picturesque in the extreme, and when cmpleted, surrounded by lawns and gardens, it will form a quaint and harmonious picture.
From the South side there is an entrance to the reception room, approached by winding steps and from the court is another entrance.
The house is somewhat in the form of a hollow square.  In the basement is a large kitchen extending the entire length of the main body of the house.  In addition to this, there is a pantry, the servants dining room, four servants bed rooms, besides a number of closets.
On the first floor the main body of the house is taken up by the living and dining rooms, whose united length is about 70 feet.  They are rough plastered, and the cypress beams overhead are finished in the rough.  In the west wing are two small bed rooms with bath, and in the east a hall with a fireplace.
The dining room is several steps lower than the living room and the bulters pantry, with dumb waiter shaft opens from it.  One of the accessories of the old Italian villa is a "vanishing table" which disappears directly the viands are eaten, and if practicable, the dining room of Miss Archbold's house will be equipped with one of thses mysterious agents.

ANNE ARCHBOLD COTTAGE
Cleftstone Road, Bar Harbor

On the second floor in the east wing a small chamber is directly above the hall.  Miss Archbolds chamber is a large pleasant room in the east wing.  From it, a spiral iron staircase leads to the tower above, where a beautiful panorama of mountain, forest, and ocean spreads out before the eye.  Opening from this room is a large bath room and tiled tub set deep after the old Roman fashion and reached by several steps.  In the west wing at the extreme end is a small bed room and bath,  Opening from this is the studio, a large airy room.
The center of the second floor is occupied by the loggia, which will be a delightful place when completed.  The floor is to be tiled and the sides of glass, which will open readily so that a cool breeze can sweep across.  Opening from the loggia is a long narrow balcony which later will be hung with trailing vines and blossoms.  At the back a cement stairway leads from the loggia to the terrace below.  The terrace will be one of the most interesting features of the house.  It fills the "hollow" of the square.  A narrow open walk the height of the second story rooms surrounds it and is upheld by twelve arches of stucco  work, ornamented with carved wheels and surrounded with handsome panels of carved wood.  In the center of the terrace a fountain will play and the entire enclosure will be covered with grass.  Beyond the terrace a large plot will be devoted to the garden which will be in keeping with the other appointments.
On the southern side of the east wing is the conservatory, which will be a unique feature of the house.  The sides, of course, will be of glass and the roof will be upheld by carved figures.

Directions;  From Eagle Lake Road - route 233, look for a pull over area where you can park your car directly across from the Cleftstone road.  An old abandoned dirt road runs up into the woods there and you don't have to walk far.  Cross the Eagle Lake Road and walk down the Cleftstone Road a short waysI believe we entered the woods across from the second house or a little past it.  It is not too far in the woods on a hillside.  The GPS for the foundations is N 44 22 947 and W 068 13 630

Directly across the road from the entrance to the estate is a telephone pole with the number 3 on it.  The remains of the estate sets on a  knoll further back in the woods on almost a straight line from the pole.

ANNE ARCHBOLD ESTATE REMAINS
WOODS OFF CLEFTSTONE ROAD
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

ANNE ARCHBOLD POOL - WOODS OFF CLEFTSTONE ROAD
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

There is a lot of debris at this site, in fact in one of the photos above you can see part of a bed frame, a closer look in the area and you come across parts of broken statues, and in the photo above you can see what once was a huge round pool that had a fountain at one end with two mermaids, one on either side of the fountain.  Many of the bricks have the name of the company and the state they came from engraved on them.  Stone steps led up to where a patio area was located and from there you can look out over the other rooms whose walls are still standing.  The parking area towards the rear of the building can still be see, though over grown.  I found this to be one of the more amazing sites to explore.

BROKEN PIECE OF ARTWORK

OLD IRON BED UNDER COLLAPSED CEILING

ONCE A FANCY SHAPED TABLE

STEPS WHERE PATIO OVERLOOKED POOL

FANCY BLUE RIDGE BRICKS

While there are some private homes along the cleftstone Road, the large section of woods the Anne Archbold Estate is located in is on Park Property.  The Bayberry site is easier to find but is only a foundation with a fireplace along one wall.  The Archbold Estate remains as it did following the fire, we counted at least four bed frames.

GPS for the foundations is N 44 22 947 and W 068 13 630

BAR HARBOR SUMMER COTTAGES
ANNE ARCHBOLD ESTATE
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

THE VANISHING TABLE

Bar Harbor Record

June 14, 1905

One of the most unique cottages in town is miss Ann Archbold's Italian Villa which she occupied for the first time last season.  This year the "vanishing Table" has been installed.  The table was made by C.H. Lewis and J.T. Kilnan of Syracuse N.Y., and works with accuracy and precision.  It is a round table supported in the center on a hollow drum through which a dumb waiter brings up the dinner, delivering it on a traveling disk flush with the top of the table.  When the disk descends, half disks at each side come together at the center of the opening through which the disk rises, and closing together, rise to the level of the top of the table, making the entire top one level surface.  The movements are accomplished by means of ropes as in any dumb waiter.

VIDEO OF THE ANNE ARCHBOLD ESTATE REMAINS