Siew- De Mo Nts Establishing Dr

Abbe Museum - Siew- de Mo nts Establishing Dr. Abbe's Museum in Mr. Dorr's Park by Ronald J-l. Epp Ph.D. For nearl y fi fty yea r ( 188 1- 1928) th e path s of two prom in ent Bar Harbor res id ents intersected repeatedl y. Dr. Robert Abbe ( 185 1- 1928) and Mr. George B. Dorr (1853 -1 944) we re movi ng independ entl y in th e ame direction, ali gned with other summer and perm anent Hancock Co un ty re ident , towa rd improvi ng the qu ali ty of li fe on Moun t Desert Island (M DI ). In the la t ix yea rs of Dr. Abbe's li fe, Dorr and Abbe wo ul d share the pa th that led to a glade bes ide th e Springhouse at Sieur de Monts in Lafayette Nati onal Park. At thi s ite a museum of native America n artifacts was bein g erected that wo uld bea r Dr. Abbe' name. Unfo rtLmately, he would not witness its dedi ca ti on nor oversee its early development. In 2003 th e Abbe Museum celebrated its 75th anni ver ary; the same year marked th e I 50th ann iversa ry of Mr. Dorr 's birth.1 The intersecti on of th e interests of Dorr and Ab be, the exercise of their di stincti ve areas of experti se, and th eir shared va lue wou ld prove to be very important fo r th e developm ent of the ls land. Their collaborati ve effort wa a deliberate attempt to create scientific and cultural in struments th at both pre erved th e bea uty an d health of th e Island as we ll as th e remains fro m pre-Emopean settlement. A ti mely

22 Establishing D1·: Abbe :S· Museum in M1 : Dorr :v Park assessment of their relationship will deepen our appreciation of the unique dynamic that shaped the genesis of Acadi a National Park, the Mount Dese1t Island Biologica l Laboratory, and the Abbe Museum. Many people who are steeped in th e traditions of MDI are acquainted with the bas ic biographi ca l deta il s of th ese two rusti cators. Robert Abbe was born in New York City, edu cated in its public sc hools and gradu ated from both th e Co ll ege of th e City of New York and the Co ll ege of Phys icians and Surgeons. A friend and biographer of Dr. Abbe referred to "hi s exactnes of thought, hi s prec ision of action , hi s deftness of hand ... hi s sy mpath etic spirit, hi s co urage and im ag in ati on which drove him into th e great and vital ca lling of a surgeon."2 In th e last two decades of th e 19th century he pi oneered techniques at St. Luke' Hosp ital and oth er metropolitan medical centers that yield ed new procedures in crani al, spinal, and intestinal surgery th at remain sta ndard procedures to thi s day. During thi s peri od Abbe adopted Bar Harbor as hi summer retreat. Attracted to the non-in vas ive potenti al of newly di covered radium, in 1904 he visited the Pari s laboratori es of Pi erre and Mari e Curi e. After returning to Ameri ca, Dr. Abbe introduced thi s new th erapy to hi co ll eagues and fo r th e remainder of hi s li fe ex perimented with it appli cations. The apl astic anemi a th at took hi s li fe in 1928 may have res ulted from experim entat ion with a radioactive substance of un ce rtain properti es. Like Dr. Abbe, George Bucknam Dorr's ori gin we re cosmopolitan and he too traced hi s ancestors back to ea rl y l 7th -century Engli sh ori gin s. Dorr 's parents were affl uent Boston Brahm in who sent their two sons to Harva rd Co ll ege and traveled wid ely as a fa mil y on th e Continent and to Mediterranean co untri es. Shortl y after the death of th eir eldest son they journeyed to Bar Harbor and were suffi cientl y impressed with th e area to purchase seventy acres of land fac in g Co mpas Harbor. With no strong eco nomic in centive to pursue a profes ion, George Don ' in vo lvement with th e Harva rd sc holarly co mmunity grew as its Phil osoph y Department, und er th e leadership of Willi am James, entered its Go lden Age. At the same time Dorr 's in vo lve ment with th e new Bar Harbor Vill age Improvement Assoc iati on (BHVIA) intensifi ed, espec ially

Estab/ishi11g D1 : Abbe :1· Museum in M1'. Dorr :s· Park 23 in horti cultural and tra ilbl azin g end eavors. Beginning in 1901 Dorr fo und hi s "profess ion" in executing the mi ss ion of th e newly fo rm ed Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservati ons (HCTPR), "an endeavor to preserve fo r public enjoyment th e sceni c and hi storic sites of Mount Desert. "J A lifelong bachelor, Dorr 's sustain ed romance was with thi s pl ace, a decid edly non cosmopoLitan island in Frenchm an Bay. Over fo ur decades he ass iduously assembled tracts of land, negoti ated the donati on of thi s land to th e peopl e of the United States, and administered th e first nati onal park east of the Rocky Mountains fo r twenty-eight years until hi s death in 1944 at 90 years of age. Wh at led Dorr, Abbe and oth er notabl e ru sticators to steward thi s small island , a pl ace to whi ch none were wedded by fa mily ti es or econ omic necessity? In th ese tim es wh en we journey to a locale for rec rea ti onal pursuits, fe w of us entertain th e vex in g qu es ti on so important to th ese summ er res id ents: how mi ght thi s island be improved and protected from fo rces th at wo uld degrade it or segregate it from public use?

Th e Culture of Bar Harbor Most of us have more th an pass ing fa mili arity with th e 19th century benchm ark s of MDI development. Th e di covery of th e natural spl end ors of th e Island by th e arti sts of th e Hudso n River School and th e ease of movement to th e Island from metropolitan areas by stea m-powered ship and ra ilroad resulted in th e post-Civil War di cove ry of th e island by Bo ton, Philadelphia, and New York fa mili es wh ose wea lth was large ly a product of the Industrial Revoluti on.

We kn ow from hotel registry li sts published in th e Mount Desert Herald that Dr. Abbe first took rooms in th e Belmont Hotel in 188 1, and th ereafter routinely summered in Bar Harbor as th e co mmunity rapidl y prospered. Foll owing hi s marri age he and hi s wife Cath erin e purchased Brook End abutting Frenchm an Bay bes id e Duck Brook. Although th e docum entati on of th e first decade of th e Abbe's in vo lvement in Bar Harbor culture is minimal, th e evid ence fo r th e Dorr fa mily's ac ti viti es is substanti al. Charl es and Mary Dorr began

24 Es 1ab/ishi11g D1: Abbe s Museum in !vh: Dorr 5· Park to summer in Bar Harbor in th e ea rl y l 870's. Like the Abbes th eir li ves we re rooted in th e Gilded Age citi es where th ey co uld hobnob with pro minent citizens like th e ce lebrated publisher James Field s; hi s close fri end Charl es Di ckens was in vited to a Chri stm as eve dinner at th e Dorr 's Boston res idence .4 In Bar Harbor they des igned a state-of-the-art cottage which was winteri zed fo r year ro und occupancy. Built in 1878, Old Fa rm and its bounti ful gardens became a social nexus und er th e ca reful directi on of Mary Dorr, where fa mil y, fri end s, literary, sc ientific, and political notabl es were invited. Her guest book is one of th e most cheri shed possessions of the Bar Harbor Hi stori ca l Soci ety Museum . It doc um ents th e intell ectu al environment afforded yo un g George Dorr in Bar Harbor although th e intell ectuals in Cambridge prov id ed him with a scholarl y envi ronm ent more to hi s liking. The earli est doc umented interaction between Robert Abbe and George Dorr occurs earl y in th e 20th century when Cath erin e Abbe, hi s wife, contributed fin anciall y to establi sh th e Building of th e Arts, Bar Harbor's first cultura l ico n. As Pres id ent of th e Building of th e A1is Fo unders Committee, Geo rge Dorr so ught "to in crease not onl y the love fo r music but the des ire fo r whatever is exce ll ent in art."s In 1905 Cath erin e Abbe, George W. Vand erbilt and oth ers join ed Dorr in purchas in g land adj ace nt to th e Kebo Va ll ey Club and fund ed th e initi al architectural design of thi s new fa cility. According to th e obituary in th e Bar Harbor Times, both Dr. and Mrs. Abbe "were among th e mov in g spirits whose vision and energy res ulted in th e [ 1907] co mpl eti on of th e Building of th e Arts. "6 For more th an thirty years th e Building of th e Arts Associates wo uld offer Island res id ents perfo rming arti sts of intern ati onal renown, due in no small part to Catherin e Abbe's co ntinuing in vo lvement until her death in 1920. Improving and Protecting Life During th e first decade of th e 20th ce ntury Dorr and Abbe dee pened their form al in vo lve ment in th e development of th e Island. George Dorr and hi s parents we re acti ve in th e local vill age improvement assoc iati on from its in ce ption in 1891. The BHVlA minutes provide extensiv e documentati on of th e involvement of Mary and Geo rge Dorr in the diverse committees that were responsi bl e fo r

Establishing D1: Ahhe :1· Museum in M1 : Dorr .'s· Park 25 co mmunity quality of life in th e absence of a centra li zed town government structure th at we now take fo r granted. One key BHVlA co nce rn was public health issues whi ch were th e responsibility of th e sanitati on co mmittee. In an era when little was kn own about bacteri ology and di sease transmi ss ion, th e Island 's village improvement societi es were the so le investi gati ve, correcti ve, and preventati ve agents to th e threats posed by contaminated wa ter, milk, and a host of pestil ences. The BHVIA annual reports contain recurring news of efforts to miti gate malari a, typhoid , scarl et fever, tubercul osi , and other affl icti ons. In 1907 Dr. Abbe fo unded th e Sa ni ta ti on Committee and wo rked closely Dt: Robert Abbe with Dorr and oth er committee members to develop public hea lth poli cies and procedu res.1 Following hi s death in 1928, th e BH VIA minutes would memori ali ze Dr. Abbe as "a lover of nature, a man of arti sti c sensiti veness, a sc ienti st, a surgeon, a gentl eman of di stin gui shed attainments, and a ra rely lovabl e fr iend ."R In time Abbe became interested in th e Hancock Coun ty Tru stees of Public Reservati ons (HCTPR), an organi za ti on th at grew fro m th e vision of Harvard Uni versity Pres ident Charl e W. Eli ot. Fo rm ed in 1901 through the efforts of eight inco rporators (including Eli ot, Dorr, John S. Kenn edy, and Luere Deasy of Bar Harbor), th e Trustees became th e key agent in changin g res ident perception about th e importance of the unique natu ra l bea uti e of th e l land . On Ja nu ary I, 1903 th e Tru stees were in co rporated by th e state of Main e "to acquire, hold and maintain and improve fo r free publi c use lands in Hancock County whi ch by reason of sceni c bea uty, hi stori cal interest, sanitary adva ntage or fo r oth er reasons may be ava il abl e fo r th e purpose."9

26 Establishing D1·: Abbe '.1· Museum in M1: Dorr '.s· Park In 19 10 Dr. Abbe 's name first appeared on the HCTPR membership li st. This date also signaled the first documented interaction between him and Dorr. Its consequence would have dra mati c implications for th e Island. Dr. Abbe sent a letter to Dorr, who was the land acquisition agent for the Trustees, identi fy ing land development on th e shores of Eagle Lake th at threatened th e purity of Bar Harbor's water supply. Relyin g as well on Seal Harbor physician William T. Sedgwick (whose recent monograph on public water supplies was regarded as authoritati ve), Dorr used this latest sanitati on threat to mount a formidable campaign in the State capita I. 10 Hi s intent was to protect the public from the self serving interests of land developers. ln short order he secured the power of eminent domain fo r the Trustees from th e State of Main e. With one mi ghty stroke Dorr revealed th e politi cal astuteness th at would grow in th e decades ahead. The authority embedded in the legal concept of eminent domain not onl y protected Bar Harbor health in the short run but al o enabled th e Trustees to reali ze more easil y their long range conservation obj ectives fo r MDL The magnitude of Dorr' achi evements as executi ve agent fo r the Trustees is well documented in correspondence between President E li ot and John D. Rockefell er Jr. Dorr 's aggressive acquisiti on of protected land prompted both men to express to one another their concern th at too many properties were acquired at the expense of Dorr's personal fortune.11 Of th e 129 properti es acquired by the Trustees in its first 38 years, an astounding 53 properties (from small parcels to tracts of more than a thousand acres) were executed by Dorr during a brief eight year peri od between 1908 and 1915. Two small parcels west of Duck Brook were deeded to the Trustees by Dr. Abbe in September 19 J 9; no documentation id entifies th e moti vation fo r the gift but it is hard to beli eve th at Dorr was not involved. Outside th e Trustee framework, Abbe alli ed himself w ith Dorr's land acqui siti on activities. Fo ll owin g the death in 19 14 of the fa mous Philadelphia physician S. Weir Mitchell--w ho summered in Bar Harbor--residents di scussed at length a suitabl e memori al for thi s beloved gentl eman. Since marine bi ology was one of Mitchell 's

Establishing D1: Abbe :s· Museum in M1 '. Dorr s· Park 27 interests, Dorr thought that his name should be associated with a li ving memorial where scientific research was pursued. Once a suitable site was id entifi ed, be asked Abbe to draft an appeal for funds to purchase the old Emery Farm in Hulls Cove. Within another five years the Mount Desert lsland Bi ologica l Laboratory (MDTBL) would be establi shed in th ere due in no small part to thi alli ance.1 2 Th ese acti viti es clea rl y show development of th e skill s required for creation and management of institutional enterpri ses. Mapping the island Both Abbe and Dorr trekked th e trails and memori al path s of the Island . For more than three decades Dorr co nstructed footpaths and supervi sed trail development th at went well beyond Bar Harbor. Repea tedl y traversin g cross-island ca 1Ty trail s establi shed by th e Wabenaki, pathfinders recogni zed that many routes provided access to inl and ponds and mar hes utili zed Park Superintendent for hunting and ga th erin g of GeOJge Buckman Dorr consum abl es. u Dorr was also attenti ve to the subtl e topographical variations that wou ld prove essenti al in orchestrating Trustees land acquisition. The co mpl exity of Dorr's geographi ca ll y centered mental landscape was critical to th e property demarcation iss ue in vo lved in the development of Lafayette National Park as we ll as his new co llabora ti on with John D. Rockefe ll er Jr. in ca rri age and motor road construction. During th e peri od 1914 through 1919 Dorr was entirely foc used on th e federa l governm ent processes in vo lved in lega ll y transferring more than 5,000 ac res of Trustee land to the United States. Although Pres ident Wil so n crea ted from this donated land th e Sieur de Mont Nationa l Monument in 1916 a fa r more co mpl ex deed

28 Es1ablishi11g D1 : Abbe .i· Museu111 in M1: D o rr:~ Park va lidation process was in vo lved to secure Congressional approval to establi sh Lafayette Na ti onal Park in 1 9 1 9. 1 ~ lt is not unreasonable to suppose that Abbe's interest in mapping the Island would aid thi s process. A letter in th e Nati onal Archi ves provides one indi cation of th e scope of th e relati onship between Abbe and Dorr. David H. Morri s, a Bar Harbor summer res id ent and fri end to both Abbe and Dorr, wrote to Secretary of th e Interi or Fra nklin Lane in August 19 17 regarding the renamin g of Island geographica l fea tures . Morri s' letter cites fo ur reasons--credited to Dr. Abbe-- fo r renaming Dry Mountain (a lso kn own as Flying Squadron Mountain) as Dorr Mountain .i s At a time when governm ent poli cies pro hibited naming geographi ca l features after indi viduals who were still ali ve, Abbe's hi gh rega rd fo r hi s co ll eague fl ew in th e face of co nv enti on. At th e same tim e Abbe bega n crea tin g th e widely ce lebra ted Champl ain Map of Mount Desert Island . Several of these reli ef map survive--in th e Abbe Museum and the Bar Harbor Hi stori cal Society Muse um . First des igned in 19 l 5, successive versions of this map were produced and widely di stributed over th e nex t decade. "U nder th e direc ti on of Mr. Dorr," th e map was photographed and fro m pl ates attracti ve note ca rd maps were di stributed as Chri stmas greetin g in 1925.1 6 As both men approac hed th eir seventh decade th eir mapping efforts were curtail ed by age and fa iling hea lth . Govern or Ralph Brewster arti cul ated th e concern s of Dr. Abbe's friends fo r the "wearin ess, th e fever, and th e fret" th at he endured, requiring repeated hos pi ta li za ti on and frequ ent tra nsfusions. 11 Both men had reason to be concern ed fo r each other's hea lth . Dorr who wa hospitali zed du rin g thi s peri od fo ll ow in g a narrow escape fro m death when he wa truck by an auto in Boston. As an av id hik er and trailblazer, Dorr mi ght reasonabl y fea r th at hi s legs would fail him as he aged. In th e end , it would not be hi s legs th at would betra y him , but hi s eyes. The glaucoma th at had restri cted hi s readin g ability since hi s Harva rd Co ll ege years and wo uld ultimately lead to blindness--and diminished ca pac iti e -- in th e decade fo ll owing Abbe's death .

Estahlishing D1'. Abbe :1· Museum in M1: Dorr .\· Park 29 Th e Vision of the Museum In his 1935 memorial essay, Reverend William Lawrence acknowledges th at at 7 1 years of age, Abbe's "wo rk seemed to be fini shed; hi s health was fa iling and invalidism to hi s life 's end was certa in ."1 8 However, th e sight of th e native Ameri ca n stone implements th at lay behind F.E. Sherman's china store window on Cottage street revitalized Abbe and presented him with a new chall enge. In The Beginnings of a Muse um , Abbe reca ll ed this moment as in spi ra ti on fo r the park muse um : "When I saw these implements .. .! was fi ll ed with a desire to possess and study th em." Abbe purchased th e stone and after returning to New York "th e idea of utilizin g th em as a nu cleus fo r a loca l museum possessed me."19 At the 1928 museum dedi cati on Judge Leure Deasy remarked that "hundreds of us cast a glance at [these stones] and passed on."20 Only Abbe grasped th eir significance and anti cipated their museum appli ca ti ons. The rea li zati on of this vision required both local and nati onal support. Although th e detail s are unknown, within two yea rs Dorr wo uld bring Secretary of th e Interi or Hubert Work to Broo k End to meet Dr. Abbe. 21 He viewed th e arti fac ts and Abbe sketched hi s museum proj ect. He reca ll s th at Secretary Work "was enthusiastic ... and showed me a telegram ... convey in g a gift of $60,000 from the Laura Spellman Rockefell er Fo undati on fo r a similar museum fo r th e Yell owstone Park."22 The MDI arti facts were also di spl ayed locall y at th e Jesup Memori al Library. John D. Rockefell er Jr. wrote to Dr Abbe th at hi s "boys" will appreciate see in g th em th ere. 2J Dorr continued to play a key rol e in fostering public awareness of thi s growin g co ll ecti on of arti facts by writing to Nati onal Park Service Director Stephen Tyng Mather th at "my old fri end, Dr. Robert Abbe of New York, has become deeply interested during thi s past summer, in the establishment of an Indian musewn in connection with the Park." 24 At thi s juncture we should pause to inquire about th e ex tent of Do1T1S interest in nati ve Ameri can culture. The onl y clea r ev idence is a 1919 letter in whi ch Dorr states hi s intent to publi sh a seri es of papers foc used on nati ve and European interacti ons. 2s Though we may judge bi s scholarl y interest in nati ve cultures as sli ght, hi s commitment to rea li zing Abbe's vision was not.

30 Establishing D1: Abbe :S Museum in M1: Dorr 5· Park Th e Scope of the Museum Although Don 's inherited wealth supported many of his conservati on enterpri ses, Abbe required fin ancial support in order to rea li ze hi s museum vision. Sin ce Abbe was in ex peri enced in fund ra isin g, he reli ed on oth ers for advice. Foll ow in g th e signifi ca nt initi al $25,000 end owment from Mrs. Walter G. Ladd , Reverend Law rence offered Abbe nothing less th an a hort course in fund rai sin g in vo lvin g communi ty edu cati on, publicity, and extensive glad handing. 26 One important potential donor had already been approached; in April 1926 Abbe se nt John D. Roc kefell er Jr. both th e newest reli ef map and a sketch of th e proposed muse um . Even th ough th e sketch was returned, th e seed had been pl anted and Mr. Rockefell er co ntributed $ I 0,000 in hi s name and another $5 ,000 as a memori al to Dr. Corn elius Woelfkin, a ph ys ician and fri end .21 October 11th, 1926 marked an impo1tant mil estone wh en Museum Pres ident Dorr signed th e papers in co rporatin g th e museum within Lafayette Nati onal Park; curi ously, Abbe's name is abse nt from th ese legal documents. Correspondence between DotT and Abbe now center on th ee tabli hment of a museum organi zati onal stru cture, co mmittee ass ignments, and finalization of th e inco rporator li st required by th e State of Main e. Over th e winter months Dorr and Abbe pl ann ed th e co n tructi on of th e museum although it is unclea r what rol es each ass um ed. Wh at is clea r is th at Dorr so ught to ex pand Abbe's fa miliarity with mu seum curatorship by introducin g him to Willi am Otis Sawtell e, fo under of th e lslesford Hi stori cal MuseLm1. Phil adelphi a architect Edmund B. Gil chri st was commiss ioned to des ign th e stru cture. In April 1927 Dorr writes to Abbe in New York City of hi s day long meetings with Gil chri t discussing site and muse um design as we ll as topi cs fro m grades of quarri ed stone to shades of roof til es. Dorr was clea rl y pl eased with th e architectu ra l paral lels between th e Sieur de Monts Springhouse and th e proposed mu seum, an affinity recogni zed by landscape architect Beatri x Farranct .28 Architect Gilchrist wrote to Dorr th at at Abbe's suggestion architectural in vo ices would be sent to Dorr to ensure payment by museum treasurer, Judge Deasy. Work began on June 12, 1927 with granite stone fo r th e structure fo otprint secured from a qu arry

Establishing Di: Abbe s Museum in Mi: Dorr :s· Park 3 1 owned by Dorr.29 To thi s day the fo undation of the park museum rests on granite provided at Dorr's personal expense. Despite Dorr 's monumental efforts to develop a constructive relationship between the Island and th e federal government, there were probl ems between the museum and the new Nati onal Park Service (NPS). Do!T's fa ilure to report the use of Lafayette Nati onal Park resources for museum purposes in hi s monthly superin tendent reports to the NPS is hi ghl y provocati ve. Without his sil ence on thi s matter, museum constructi on may have been handicapped by governmental accountability concern s. The Vision Realized Dr. Abbe did not li ve to see hi s museum completed. His death in M arch 1928, received worldwide news coverage. While th e obi tuari es were similar, one claim is curi ous as well as mi sleading. The New York World refers to Dr. Abbe as a "prime mover" in the establi shment of Lafayette Nati onal Park whereas The New York Times refers to Dr. Abbe's "role" in its creati on. N o survivin g documents support these cla ims altho ugh the Bar Harbor Times announcement of Dr. Abbe's death cannot be easil y di smi ssed. "A notabl e tri o" is the phrase used to describe Eli ot, Dorr, and Abbe in th e establishment of Sieur de Monts National Monument and th eir subsequent efforts to create Lafayette National Park; thi s claim echoes an earli er editori al w hi ch claimed th at Dorr was "closely identified with Dr. Abbe's work, as Dr. Abbe was w ith Mr. Dorr 's fo unding of Lafayette Nati onal Park."Jo The August 14, 1928 dedi cati on of the museum was a commemorati on of the li fe of Dr. Abbe, although it would be another nine years before the museum fo rm all y adopted Abbe's name. The newspaper report of th e dedi cati on acknowledged the 72 donors who supported th e museum, but directed attenti on to Dorr who had " much to do w ith the Museum, especiall y since Dr. Abbe's death, carry in g out th e doctor's wishes."J1 Compelling evidence of th e Dorr/Abbe relati onship is revealed in events after Abbe's death . The telegram from Abbe's relati ves that in fo rmed the Bar Harbor community of hi s death .was sent to O ld Farm in care of Dorr, hi s friend fo r nearl y half a century.32 When

32 Es1ablishi11g Dr: Abbe :1· Museum in M1: Dorr :5 Park th e Abbe estate was settled, th e largest sin gle bequest ($50,000) went to May Moon in recogni tion of her 32 yea rs of service as secretary and ca regiver of Dr. Abbe. The onl y significant gift to someo ne who was not a relative, empl oyee, or an organi za ti on was th e $10,000 bequ est to George B. Dorr. Si xteen years later Dorr rec ip rocated when hi s executors directed one qu arter of hi s estate to th e Abbe Muse um . Evel'ything Th at Was Best Dorr continued to prov ide leadership as one of th e muse um directors fo r more th an a decade fo ll owing Abbe's dea th-even as he di stanced himself fro m issues of co ntrol. In 193 1 he enco uraged Dr. Warren K. Moorehead, the leadin g authori ty on Main e archaeology, to continue hi s fi eldwork on behalf of th e museum and to prepare a publi ca ti on on th e " Indians of Mount Desert lsland."33 Dorr 's interest in th e dynami cs of museum purpose, ownership, co ntro l, and fin ancing was co mpl ex , especiall y since th e NPS was onl y beginning to develop its own museum poli cies. Two key iss ues affected th e development of th e mu seum . Tension exists when any pri va te non-p rofit corpora ti on is lega ll y situated within a publi c organi za ti on. John D. Roc kefell er Jr. wrote in 193 0 th at it was " part of Dorr 's co ntract with me" to effect the "tra nsfer of th e Abbe Museum and its end owment to the Park, to be ow ned and operated by th e Park ." 34 As late as 1944, a Muse um boa rd meetin g was sti II sh·ugg ling with the issue of tra nsferrin g Muse um owner hip to th e NPS; fo r nea rl y two decades boa rd members di sputed th e rec urring park se rvice cl aim th at th e 2.3 acre museum pro perty was "und er complete [NPS] opera ti ve contro l".35 The oth er issue involved th e nature and contro l of museum educational ac ti viti es. A 1929 N PS. publicati on fo r administrati on of edu ca ti onal programs stressed th at th e park vi sitor should be provided with th e story of th e park as a wh ole even as speciali zed ex hibits were still info rm all y di sco uraged. 36 Jn a letter to John D. Rockefe ll er Jr. th e fo ll ow in g year, Kate Ladd--who prov ided the keystone endowment for th e museum--ex pressed her grow in g concern th at nati onal poli cies were interferin g with local co ntrol. 37 These administra ti ve iss ues are of small consequence within th e

Establishing D1: Abbe :s· Museum in Ml': Dorr \· Park 33 context of th e li fe hi stori es of Abbe and Dorr. Their relati onship was not exclusively professional; to the co ntrary, their profess ional associati ons were based on a personal relati onship th at was deep and broad-- a fri endship based on shared values sustain ed over decades. They both were guided by an urge fo r permanency ev id ent in th e preservati oni st moti ve behind Abbe's muse um and implicit in Dorr 's effort to co nserve on the Island its enduring bea uty .3s The benchm arks are th eir own word s, their sustain ed actions to co nserv e "everythin g th at was best" about Mount Desert Island , and th eir co ll aborati ve effort to create a muse um th at would co ntinue to in spire future generati ons. One fin al docum ent speaks to the impact of th eir fr iend ship . Dr. Abbe was honored on hi s se venti eth birthday with hundreds of birthday wishes . Expressions of affecti on were written by fri ends and professional co ll eagues; th ey had been gath ered in two hand some vo lumes and preserved in th e Abbe Archi ves. Dorr' s note is deservin g of spec ial menti on because it employs uncharacteri sti c reli gious im agery to conv ey an implicit message of enduring affecti on. Dorr states th at he fee ls honored to co unt him self "among yo ur fri end s. It is a credenti al th at I shall present to St. Peter at th e Heavenl y Gate; and St. Peter will open wid e! But should I get th ere first I shall not fee l th at it is all th ey ' ve cracked it up to be until you co me!"39 As we kn ow, Dr. Abbe wo uld predecease Mr. Dorr by sixtee n years. We do not kn ow whether Dorr 's "credential" was suffi cient to "open wid e" th e Heavenl y Gate. We do kn ow with certainty th at th e Ea rthl y Gate into Acadi a was opened wid e to all because of th eir coll aborati ve efforts.

ENDNOTES: The fo ll owin g archi va l archi va l repos itori es we re consulted: AA: Robert Abbe Archi ves, Abbe Muse um Archi ves, Bar Harb or, ME AN P: Acadi a Nati onal Park Archi ves, Hi story of Park Ma nagement Reco rds, Bar Harbor, ME BH VIA: Bar Harbor Vill age Improvement Associati on Minutes, Jes up Memori al Library, Bar Harbor, ME

34 Establishing D1: Abbe :s Museum in M1'. Dorr );· Park DP: Dorr Papers, Jesup Memorial Library, Bar Harbor, ME HCTPR: Hancock County Trustees of Publi c Reserva ti ons Archi ves, Woodlawn Museum, Ell sworth , ME NARA: Nati onal Archives & Record s Adm ini strati on, RG 79, Acadia National Park , Co ll ege Park MD RA C: Ro ckefell er Archive Center, Rockefeller Family Arch ives, RG2, Sleepy Holl ow, NY I. This article ex pands a slide program deli vered September 14, 2003 at the Abbe Mu se um ( Bar Harbor, Maine ) in ce lebration of th e 75 th anniversary of the Abbe Mu se um , an event co-sponsored by th e Bar Harbor Hi stori ca l Society. 2. ANP. Box 32, Fi le 18. Wi lli am Lawrence. Robert Abbe (1935). Pg. 3. 3. HCTPR. File 190 I, Samuel A. Eli ot, A Bri ef Record of th e Origin and Activities of th e Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservati ons ( Bar Harbor: 1939 ). 4. M.A . DeWolfe Howe's Memori es ofa Hostess (Boston: At lantic Monthl y Press, 1922) provides a vivid introduction to An ni e Fields, Boston hostess and friend of Mary Dorr. 5. RAC. OMR. 111. 2.1. Box 63 , Fo ld er 632. G.B. Dorr, A New Building for Music at Bar Harbor ( 1905). 6. Bar Harbor Times, September 12 & 19, 1928. 7. AA. Case VIII . Fi le 8. 8. BHVIA. 1929. 9. HCTPR. F. I 90 I. Ibid. I 0. E.O. Jord an et. al. A Pi oneer of Public Hea lth: Willi am Thomp on Sedgwick (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1924) tracks Sedgwick's career in thi s mongraph , notin g th e influence of the 1905 on Standard Methods of Water Analysis th at provided mi crobi ologica l authority fo r Dorr and Abbe's claim . 11 . RA C. OM R. II 1. 2. l. B. 59, F. 441. February 25 , 19 15 letter from Charles W. Eli ot to John D. Rockefell er Jr. 12. Franklin H. Epstein (ed.) A Laboratory by th e Sea: The Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory 1898-1 998 (RJ1inebeck, NY: Ri ver Press, 1998). This centenni al volume contains several important essays (pp. 1-63) on th e ori gins of th e Sa li sbury Cove fac ility. 13. ANP. Margie Coffi n Brown. Hi stori c Hiking Trail System of Mount Desert Island (Bar Harbor: National Park Service, Acadia National Park, 1999). Draft. Pp. 11 -16. 14. George B. Dorr. The Story of Acadia National Park (Bar Harbor: Acadia Publishing, 1985). 15. NARA. RG . 79. Acadia. Misce ll aneous Reports. F. 12.2, pt. 2. 16. Bar Harbor Times, January 13, 1926. 17. AA Case IJJ. Correspondence 1924-26. F. 9/ I 0. Extract of August 2 1, 1925 letter to Dorr from Brewster.

Eswblishing D1: Abbe '.s Museum in M1'. Dorr '.s Park 35 18. ANP. B. 32 . F. 18. Willi am Law rence. Robe1t Abbe (1935). Pg. 7. 19. AA. C. II. F. 2.

20. Bar Harbor Times. August 15, 1928 . 2 1. Bar Harbor Times. Jul y 16, 1924. 22 . AA. C. 11. F. 2. See also Bar Harbor Times, Jul y 16, 1924. 23. AA. C. Ill. F. 8. 24. NARA. RG 79. Acadi a. 1907-39. November 14, 1924. 25. United States Geographic Boa rd . Was hington, D.C. April 9, 19 19 letter from G.B. Dorr to U.S.G.B. Chairman Fra nk Bond. 26. AA . C. Ill. F. 2. Letters of August 28 , 1926 & September 26, 1926. 27. AA . C. II I. F. 8. September 15, 1927 letter from John D. Roc kefe ll er Jr. to Dr. Abbe. 28. AA. Faciliti es. C. I. F. I. Ma y 20, 1927 letter from Beatri x Farrand to G.B. Dorr. 29. Bar Harbor Times. November 2, 1927. 30. Bar Harbor Times. Jul y 11 , 1928. 3 1. Bar Harbor Times. August 15, 1928. 32 . Bar Harbor Times. March 7 & 14, 1928. 33. Bar Harbor Times. March 31, 1928.34. RAC. OMR. Ill. 2. I. B. 74. F. 760. Jul y 8, 1930 letter to Fred Lynam. 35. AA . C. Ill. F. 9. April 29, 1944 letter from NPS Director Newton B. Drury to Fletcher T. Wood. 36. National Park Service. Harpers Ferry Center Libra ry. Historical Co ll ection. RG 19. Box K 18 10. Reports & Recommend ati ons fro m the Committee on Study of Educati onal Problems in National Parks, Janu ary 9 & November 27 , 1929. 37. RAC. OMR. Ill. 2. I. B. 74. F. 760. 38. Judith S. Go ldstei n lucidl y ex pands on th e power of landscape in satisfyin g Dorr's "urge for perm anancy" in her Majesti c Mount Desert (Mo unt Desert, ME: Somes Pond Press, 1966). 39. AA. Robert Abbe Seventieth Birthday Corres pond ence. Two Vo lumes. Apri l 12, 192 1 letter from G.B . Dorr.

36 Establishing D1: Abbe :S· Museum in Mr: Dorr :S Park