Saturday Morning, August 19, 2023

Somewhere in Time

A flick. A flame. Not a sliver of rain. Smoke in the grass. A call. A wall. A fiery mass. An impossible task. No clouds in the sky. Summer months roll by. Into the fall, no rain at all. The spark. The arc. An inferno burns dark.

This week our story stretches from mid-twentieth century back to Victorian. Lessons learned and experiences shared may wear different fashions,
perhaps varying moral codes, but the moments are identical.

October 17, 1947. Mt. Desert Island, Maine. Home to Acadia National Park and the coveted cove Bar Harbor. The first call to the fire company reported a small blaze near the island dump. Cause never known.

Meet the Grays of Hancock County, Maine, ca. 1882.

Two personalized Victorian albums, set with medium size images, sing their songs.

Although extinguished, the fire smoldered underground for several days then re-surfaced like Satan, raging across the landscape in a towering nightmare. Convection currents aided by winds from an approaching cold front encouraged its onward march to the sea where it was halted. The fire would destroy 17,000 acres, 8,000 within the park, multiple businesses and homes including the famed Millionaire's Row along Frenchman's Bay.

Dress and shoes, items of the latest fashion.

Summer Haven

For centuries, this small corner of paradise remained undiscovered, known by inhabitants as the Town of Eden. By the 1850's, landscape artists migrated there, captivated by Acadia's rocky shoreline and ever-flowing sea. Frederick Church. Thomas Birch. Fitz Hugh Lane, among others spent their summers toiling. Their works, displayed in galleries back in the cities, caught the attention of many. The movement was on.

New homes of the wealthy, Hancock County, Maine, ca. 1880. Image 6" x 8 ¼"

One after another arrived. By the 1880's, a new force appeared on this granite outcrop. America's wealthy. Industrialists. Oil men. Steel and railroad tycoons. Mark Twain's Gilded Age. Now that Newport, Rhode Island had been conquered, this was the perfect outpost, virgin landscape. In came the architects, builders, the usual entourage. Up grew the houses, "cottages" each with twenty or thirty rooms. Stunning vistas, sea breezes, it was an allure difficult to ignore.

Fifty Shades of Gray

Hancock County, Maine. Home to Bar Harbor and generations of the Gray family. Ancestor Joshua Gray and his wife arrived on Mt. Desert Island in the eighteenth century providing the seed for their expanding dynasty. In 1882, the family created several photo albums highlighting themselves, more importantly, their island surrounds.

Period perfect. Top left Morgan silver dollar dates 1884.

↓ 14k gold diamond & ruby clipon earrings.

Opening these rosetta stones, we were unsure of the location. The key was one of two harbor photographs. With a loupe we could read the name of a hotel located waterside. West End Hotel. One of several open in this period, we recognized this spot as Bar Harbor, Maine. These albums were professionally produced, laid out medium size images on academy board quality pages. The mark on several pages, Patented April 4, 1882, nailed the period. Some photographs are playful, all meaningful, permanent records of a world long gone. Horses. Carriages. Victorian landscapes. Even a magnificent glass greenhouse. One of the best images is the newly built millionaire's homes.

Gone With the Wind

Surrounding firemen in October of 1947 kept the flames at bay, protecting Bar Harbor's downtown. The men practiced a scorched-earth defense, intentionally burning down buildings, one a major hotel, to halt the fireline. A wall of water fought the sparks and a shift of the wind in the final moments spared a total tragedy. Residents fled, either choosing a narrowing window on the road out, or, as many did, heading to the docks where boats waited.

Bar Harbor, Maine, ca. 1880. Image 6" x 8 ¼"

This moment changed Mt. Desert Island forever. No longer would tourists gawk at the mansions, an attraction producing much revenue. Instead, the herd was steered into Acadia National Park. This the new destination. Camping. Hiking. Acadia's natural beauty, once again, offered attraction and saved the economy. Today, Bar Harbor is still a destination, the community now thriving.

Philosopher Kings

One argument always ensues in face of tragedy. Does God really exist? How could such destruction happen if He did exist? Ye faithful, rest assured. Yes, God exists. Here in Bar Harbor we find solid evidence. God, like anyone, needs to take a vacation. What better place than the Elysian Fields of Mt. Desert Island? In his absence an oversight committee was formed right here, down by the waterside. Their one mission? Designing the lobster. Who else but a committee could create such a crustacean? Want better evidence? Or you could attend an auction. An expression we hear quite often? Good God! This may be all the proof you will ever need.