Village Center Tours

Village Center Tours. Bar Harbor, Maine. , Welcome to Bar Harbor's Museum in the Streets Historic Walking Tour , Along this walk, you will find illustrated panels presenting many lively stories and facts about the town, its visitors, the buildings and architecture, its residents and their lives, successes, and tragedies. The township was first incorporated on February 23, 1796, as the town of Eden for the English statesman Sir Richard Eden, by an act signed by Samuel Adams, then governor of Massachusetts of which Maine was part until 1820. The town's name was changed to Bar Harbor in 1918. , This area with its natural beauty and wealth of resources, has always drawn people to its shores. Following the Wabanaki, the original island inhabitants, explorer Samuel de Champlain sailed here on September 5, 1604. It was he who named the island "L' isle Des Monts Desert," which loosely translates to the "Isle of Deserted Mountains." He described in his ship's log the mountaintops as "barren and treeless." The log also records that he ran aground on a submerged ledge which is thought to be Otter Cliffs Ledge, just off Otter Point at the head of Frenchman Bay. Nine years later French Jesuits landed on the island and tried unsuccessfully to establish a colony named Saint Sauveur (across from Wabanaki and Chier Astcou on Manchester Point), now Fernald's Point in Southwest Harbor. In 1761, Abraham Somes and James Richardson sailed from Glouster, Massachusetts to establish their simple outpost tucked away in a safe harbor sheltered by tall mountains. It became the first permanent English settlement on the island and is now the village of Somesville. , In the 1840s and 50s, Bar Harbor became the home of American artists and attracted great political figures, the wealthy and famous. It has maintained its uniqueness and sense of place over the years, partly because it is on an island and off the beaten path. It also boasts Acadia National Park, the first national park east of the Mississippi River, and one of the largest cancer research centers in the world, the Jackson Laboratory, founded in 1929. The harbor has provided safe anchorage for many famous sailing vessels, dirigibles, steamboats, cruise ships, private yachts, and ships of the U.S. Navy. Early on the year-round residents made their living logging, fishing, farming, building boats, and caretaking summer cottages. After inheriting a rich history, Bar Harbor remains a progressive and vibrant community. , The village Center walking tour, completed in 2012, consists of 29 numbered panels and three directory panels such as this one showing their location. The tour is less than two miles long and takes an average of two hours, including reading time. If you are limited by time, you may use the shorter routes marked by dotted lines on the map. The Village perimeter tour was installed in 2019 and consists of 20 numbered panels and two directories. The panels go out of town on both Route 3 north and south. The North End Tour is about two miles long and the South End is about three miles long one way so you may wish to drive. You should be cautioned there is no walking path for S9 and S10 or from N7 through N10. Printed maps are available along with more activity suggestions at any Chamber of Commerce Information Bureau. Please be respectful of private property and remember that property owners have been especially generous in making this tour possible. , To Follow The Museum in the Streets Maps and brochures are available at the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce. , ( French not translated ) , ( properties on the tour ) , 1. The Waterfront, La Front De Mer , 2. The Bar Harbor Club, Le Club De Bar Harbor , 3. Bar Island , 4. West Street Historic District, Quarter Historique De West Street , 5. La Rochelle , 6. The Great Fire, La Grand Incenedie , 7. Bar Harbor Municipal Building, La Mairie De Bar Harbor , 8. The Cottage Era, La Pe`riode Des , 9. Ledgelawn Inn, Auberge De Ledgelawn , 10. Holy Redeemer, E`glise De Holy Redeemer , 11. Sisters of Mercy Covenant, Le Couvent Des Soeurs De La Mise`ricorde , 12. The YMCA and Jesup Memorial Library, La YMCA et La Bibliotheque Jesup` , 13. Episcopal Church and Village Burying Ground, Eglise Epicopale et Cemete`re Du Village , 14. The Abbe Museum and Congregational Church, Le Muse`e Abbe Et L'Eglise Congregationalist , 15. The Bar Harbor Fire Department, Les Pompiers De Bar Harbor , 16. The Village Green, Le Jardin Public , 17. The Fred Savage Home, La Maison De, Fred Savage , 18. The Great Hotel Era, L'E`poque Des Grands Ho`tels , 19. MDI Hospital, L'Ho^pital De Mount Desert , 20. The Briars, Le Manoir Briars , 21. The Breakwater Estate, Le Domaine Breakwater , 22. The Maine Lobster, Le Homard Du Maine , 23. Balance Rock and The Ice Age, Balance Rock Et L'e`re Glaciaire , 24. The Reading Room, La Salle De Lecture , 25.The Shorepath, Le Sentier Co^tier , 26. Arrivals by Sea, Vocation Martime , 27. United States Post Office, Le Bureau De Poste , 28. The Criterion Theatre, Le The`a^tre Criterion , 29. Agamont Park and Early Artists, Le Parc Agamont Et Les Artistes