Bar Harbor in Hancock County, Maine — The American Northeast (New England)

The Waterfront
⎯⎯⎯
La Front de Mer

Bar Harbor, Maine

— The Museum in the Streets —

The Waterfront marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, October 16, 2024

1. The Waterfront marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Tobias Roberts built the first pier large enough to accommodate steamboats like the passenger carrier Rockland that began making regular stops here in 1857. Here is an excerpt from the 1881 Bar Harbor Blue Book: "During the past winter, the Mount Desert has received a new boiler and patent paddle-wheels, and is now the fastest steamboat east of Boston, and will make the run from Rockland to Bar Harbor in four hours or less. As nearly all this distance is inside the islands along the coast, thus giving smooth water, it is a very desirable route for persons at all inclined to be affected by the roll of the ocean."

Tobias Roberts constrit la pre- mière jetée suffisamment grande pour que des bateaux à vapeur y accostent, tel le "Rockland" qui transporte des passagers et commence des traversées régulières avec l'île en 1857. Voici un extrait du Bar Harbor Blue Book qui date de 1881: L'hiver dernier le 'Mont Désert' a reçu une chaudière neuve et une roue à aubes brevetée, ce qui en fait le vapeur le plus rapide à l'est de Boston: il accomplit la traversée Rockland-Bar Harbor en quatre heures, voire moins. Comme la presque totalité du trajet longe la côte abritée par des fles, la mer est calme et le parcours n'incommode nullement les personnes sujettes au mal de mer.

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Museum in the Streets. (Marker Number 1.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the The Museum in the Streets: Bar Harbor, Maine series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1857.

Location. 44° 23.474′ N, 68° 12.318′ W. Marker is in Bar Harbor, Maine, in Hancock County. It is at the intersection of West Street and Main Street, on the left when traveling east on West Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Bar Harbor ME 04609, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Mount Desert Island

and in Downeast Maine. It is also in the American Northeast

and in New England.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Great North Woods,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France

and also Acadia.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Village Center Tours (within shouting distance

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, October 16, 2024

2. The Waterfront marker

of this marker); Agamont Park and Early Artists / Le parc Agamont et les artistes (within shouting distance of this marker); Bar Harbor Soldiers Monument (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Bar Harbor Inn Gazebo (about 500 feet away); Arrival By Sea / Vocation Maritime (about 500 feet away); The Shorepath / Le Sentier Côtier (about 600 feet away); Criterion Theatre / Le Théâtre Criterion (about 600 feet away); United States Post Office (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bar Harbor.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 26, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 2, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 164 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 2, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.

The Waterfront⎯⎯⎯La Front de Mer

Bar Harbor, Maine

— The Museum in the Streets —

The Waterfront
⎯⎯⎯
La Front de Mer