Mount Desert Maine

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This profile is part of the Mount Desert, Maine One Place Study.

Mount Desert, is a town in Hancock County settled in 1761 and incorporated on February 17, 1789 from Mount Desert Plantation.
      The Island of Mount Desert had a fascinating history long before the English settlers arrival in 1761.
For further reading Asticou’s Island Domain: Wabanaki peoples at Mount Desert Island 1500-2000''
      Asticou’s Island Domain: Volume 1
      Asticou’s Island Domain: Volume 2

• Parent Page: Hancock County
• Mount Desert, Maine Category Page

Villages, Locations and Settlements

First Village: Somesville

References to Beech Hill are apparently for the area North of Beech Mountain, lying between Long Pond and Dennings Pond. The trail leading from Bass Harbor to Southwest Harbor, then up over Beach Mountain to Somesville may be seen on the Plan of Mount Desert 1795 [see Image] A. Stanley 27 Dec 2021.

" The road to Ellsworth by way of the eastern side of Echo Lake was built in 1838-9. Previous to this there was a rough cart road leading down over Beech Hill [West of Echo Lake/Denning's Pond] and along the crest of Freeman’s Hill. There were no carriages on the island and but few horses; oxen being used as beasts of burden. ..." page 38 "Traditions & Records of Southwest Harbor and Somesville ..." by Nellie C. Thornton

Historical Names

Pioneer Settlers

Islands

The state of Maine lists 23 Islands that are part of Mount Desert Maine Islands

Maps

• Mount Desert on Google Maps

Maps (Click an image for details)

1917 Topographical Map	Plan of Mount Desert with Saw & Corn/Grist Mills	Coast of Maine from Frenchmans Bay to Mosquito Harbor with Early Settler Lots about 1776
Dodge's Mount Desert Island 1872	Mount Desert Island 1917	Eden Mount Derert and Tremont Towns, with Household Names
1795 Map of Mount Desert with Old Roads & Mill Locations	1904 Beech Hill, Somesville, Mount Desert.	1887 Beech Hill.

Mount Desert maps on other sites:

• 1808 Map (Southwest Harbor West Side of Mount Desert)
• 1807 Plan of the French Grant (East Side) of Mount Desert
• Large File of East Side of Mount Desert (John Peters 1807) Hancock County Registry of Deeds
• Large File of Western Side of Mount Desert (Salem Towne 1808) Hancock County Registry of Deeds

Genealogy at the William Otis Sawtelle Collections and Research Center "Located in Bar Harbor at Park Headquarters, the center is dedicated to William Otis Sawtelle, founder of the Islesford Historical Museum on Little Cranberry Island. The center houses historic artifacts, archival documents related to the Town of Cranberry Isles, as well as the natural, cultural and administrative history of Acadia National Park and Saint Croix Island International Historic Site. NOTED: 16 DEC 2021 Due to Covid-19, the center is currently closed to the public" Mailing Address: PO Box 177 Bar Harbor , ME 04609 Phone: 207 288-3338

Stories

Varney's Gazetteer of the state of Maine has the following:
      Mount Desert, in Hancock County, formerly included the whole island, with some neighboring small islands. It now includes a belt across the middle of the island, with several small islands near it. The chief natural features of the town are its mountains, and an arm of the sea called Somes' Sound. This body of water is two miles wide at its mouth, and extends northward through the mountain ranges, affording a sail through the heart of the best scenery of the island. The considerable bodies of fresh water in this town are Long Pond, Echo Lake, or Deering's [Denning's] Pond, and Seal Cove Pond, the first 5 miles in length by 1£ in width, the others about one-half as large. The mountains are Pemetic (1,202 feet in height) ; the Bubbles,—North (845 ft.), and South (780 ft.) ; The Peak of Otter (506 ft.), The Beehive (540 ft.) ; Otter Cliff (112 ft.) ; The Cleft, North (610 ft.), and South (460 ft.) ; Jordan's Hills, North (840 ft.), and South (360 ft.) ; Brown's Mountain (860 ft.) ; Flying Mountain (300 ft.) ; Robinson's Mountain (700 ft.) ; Dog Mountain (670 ft.) ; and Carter's Nubble (480 ft.).
    The bowlder phenomena is exhibited in this town to a wonderful degree. There are wandering rocks of red and blue granite, trap, gneiss, mica schist, clay slate, and fossiliferous sandstones. The greater part of the bed rock here called granite, is protogine—talc being substituted for mica. There is also considerable sienite in which is hornblende instead of mica, having veins of magnetic iron, arsenical iron and pyrites.
    The principal harbors are Somes', Pretty Marsh, and North East. Somesville, the principal village, is situated at the head of the sound, having an excellent harbor. There is quite a water-power at the place, furnished by Somes' Stream, on which are a saw-mill, woollen-factory, and grist-mill. There is also a steam saw-mill. The post-offices are Mount Desert (Somesville), North East Harbor, Pretty Marsh and Long Pond. Considerable business is done in the town in gathering ice, the annual crop being estimated at 12,000 tons. There are also several granite quarries, one of which employs about 40 men. The annual shipment of cut stone is estimated at 3,500 tons. It is said that there is not a level field in town. Hay is a small crop, and it brings a better price than in neighboring towns.
    Mount Desert Island was a familiar landmark to the early voyagers of the coast. Its name seems to have been first applied by De Monts in 1604. It was temporarily occupied by the French in that year. In 1608, the Jesuits, Peter Biard and Eneraond Masse, established a mis* 6ion on the island, supposed to have been located at Fernald's Point at the base of Flying Mountain, about two miles north of South-West Harbor. " Here they constructed a fortified habitation, planted a garden, and dwelt five years ; entering with great zeal and perseverance upon the work of converting the natives to their faith." In 1613. the island having been granted to Madame de Guercheville, a lady of zealous piety, connected with the French Court, a colony of about twentyfive persons, led by Saussaye, were sent out by her to join the two missionaries. Before their fort was fully completed, they were attacked by Argall, Governor of South Virginia, who captured or scattered both the colonists and their Indian friends. No attempt appears to have been made by the French to resettle the island until one Cadilliac received from Louis XIV. a grant containing 100,000 acres, bordering for two leagues on the bay near Jordan's River on the mainland, and the same on Mount Desert Island, including the smaller islands lying in the bay. He made a resolute attempt to hold his ground, but in 1713, after the cession of the whole of Acadie to England, he abandoned it. In 1785, however, his granddaughter, Madame de Gregoire, claimed of the General Court of Massachusetts the lands of her ancestor. The Court naturalized the claimant and her husband, and quit-claimed to them all but lots of 100 acres each for actual settlers. Having been abandoned by the French, in 1688, an Englishman named Hinds, with his wife and four children, lived here. The first permanent settlement was by Abraham Somes and James Richardson, in 1761. The first child, George Richardson, was born in August, 1793. The first marriage was on August 9, 1774. Mount Desert Island became a Plantation in 1776, and was incorporated as a town in 1789. In 1838, Bartlett's, Hardwood and Robinson's Islands were set off and incorporated, into " Seaville." Christopher Bartlett first settled on Bartlett's Island about 1770. The act incorporating Seaville was repealed in 1859, Bartlett's Island again becoming a part of Mount Desert. Eden was set off in 1796, and Tremont in 1848. The island contained an area of about 60,000 acres, of which Eden has 22,000, and Tremont half the remainder.
    The Congregationalists have a church in the town, and maintain a clergyman. Mount Desert has nine public schoolhouses, and its school property is valued at $3,000. The valuation of estates in 1870 was $158,069. In 1880 it was $160,803. The population in 1870 was 918. In the census of 1880 it was 1,017.

Additional Resources

• Mount Desert Historical Society 373 Sound Drive (Route 3/198) | P.O. Box 653 | Mount Desert, ME 04660 | | 207.276.9323
• Maine Genealogy Net: Mount Desert
• Mount Desert at Family Search
• Wikidata: Item Q3053737, en:Wikipedia
• Maine Encyclopedia
• Northeast Harbor; reminiscences by Vaughan, William Warren]
• Life on an Island: Early Settlers off the Rock-Bound Coast of Maine]
• Seaville, Hancock County, Maine Genealogy]
• ASTICOU’S ISLAND DOMAIN:WABANAKI PEOPLES AT MOUNT DESERT ISLAND 1500-2000 National Parks Service (downloadable book}
• Dodge, E. H. 1871. Mount Desert Island, and the Cranberry isles. Ellsworth [Me.]: N.K. Sawyer.
• Southwest Harbor Public Library's Digital Archive
• Plan of Lots (with deed references) at Mount Desert pages have since been removed
• Traditions and records of Southwest Harbor and Somesville, Mount Desert island, Maine by Thornton, Nellie C
• The story of Mount Desert Island, Maine] by Morison, Samuel Eliot (downloadable book}
• Varney, George J. 1886. Gazetteer of the state of Maine: with numerous illustrations.
• Mount Desert Historical Society 373 Sound Drive (Route 3/198) | P.O. Box 653 | Mount Desert, ME 04660 | 207.276.9323
• William Otis Sawtelle Collections and Research Center

Photos

Photo Gallery (Click an image for details)

Somesville	Schooners at Somesville	Old Mill at Somesville
Looking Towards Mount Desert	Cottage Street Northeast Harbor courtesy of Elaine Hayden	Somes Cove

Sources

• Map with earliest settlement locations Mount Desert Island and neighboring coast of Maine Des Barres, Joseph F. W. London, 1776?] https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3732m.np000012/?r=0.679,0.545,0.093,0.034,0
• Map of Mount Desert Island. with 1808 Salem Town Lots Colby, George N. Stuart, J. H. Created / Published [S.l.], 1887 https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3732m.np000025/?st=image&r=0.073,0.731,0.228,0.082,0
• First Settlers The Maine historical magazine at Mount Desert https://archive.org/details/mainehistoricalm1893bang/page/n59/mode/2up