WILLIAM OTIS SAWTELLE COLLECTION 1692-1941 (BULK DATES 1890-1935) FINDING AID Catalog Numbers: ACAD 31057 - 31069 Prepared By Tim J. Karle National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine Resource Management Report 2004-07 Acadia National Park’s Collections Acadia National Park museum collections contains over 1.5 million natural history specimens, archival documents, archeological materials, and historic artifacts dating from 1596 to the present. This museum collection represents the natural and cultural history of Acadia National Park, Saint Croix Island International Historic Site, the settlement of the Cranberry Isles, the Carroll Family of Southwest Harbor, the personal collection of William Otis Sawtelle, and the archives of the Naval Security Group Activity, Winter Harbor (Schoodic Naval Base). Natural history collections include: William H. Procter Invertebrate Collection, Ralph Long Ornithological Slide Collection, Harold White Odonata Collection, Daniel T. Jennings Arachnid Collection, and National Park Service Northeast Temperate Network Collection. Cultural history collections include: Cranberry Isles Collection, William Otis Sawtelle Collection, U.S. Life Saving Station Collection, Carroll Homestead Collection, Acadia Park Records Collection, Saint Croix Island International Historic Site Records Collection, Islesford Wharf Islesford Collection, Naval Security Group Activity Collection, and Islesford Collection Inc.. The Collection is located at park headquarters (on Route 233 three miles west of Bar Harbor) in the William Otis Sawtelle Collections and Research Center. Access to the collections is available year-round by appointment with the park curator. For an appointment call (207) 288-8729, send an e-mail to [email protected], or mail a request to: Park Curator, Acadia National Park, P.O. Box 177, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609. 1 PREFACE This document, the Finding Aid for the William Otis Sawtelle Collection, describes materials collected by William Otis Sawtelle. Sawtelle (1874-1939) was born and raised in Bangor, Maine. His birth father died when he was five, and his mother Adelaide remarried Frank D. Pullen five years later. A Civil War veteran, Frank became a businessman in a clothing store in Bangor and eventually a general agent for the Boston, Bangor, and Bar Harbor Steamship Line and a special collector in Bangor’s U.S. Customs office. His time and energy was taken up with military and veteran services. His influence on young William was long lasting. Sawtelle graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1899 with a Bachelor of Science degree. As a teaching fellow, at Harvard, he earned his Master’s degree in physics there in 1909. He then returned to MIT where he taught physics and began his scientific research. He went on to teach physics at Haverford College in Philadelphia. In 1903 Sawtelle married Louise Coburn Burpee. They had five children (Edgerton, Louise, Eleanor, Janet, and Margery). The Sawtelles were seasonal residents of the Cranberry Isles, summering on Islesford at their home “The Head,” built in 1913. In 1915 Sawtelle spearheaded the purchase of the Islesford Wharf to insure a public right-of-way to Little Cranberry Island (Islesford). Because the purchase of the wharf did not include land, in 1917 he purchased the Hadlock store along with one acre of land, thus insuring a public right-of-way. Sawtelle was always interested in history, even though he taught physics at the university level. He was particularly interested in the history of New France, or “Acadia,” and collected many documents pertaining to this history. After purchasing the old Hadlock store, Sawtelle discovered documents in the building pertaining to the history of the Cranberry Isles: the settlers, town, and maritime history. Discovering these documents sparked his interest in local history. It wasn’t until 1919, however, that he decided to open the Hadlock store as a museum of local history. Local artists who called themselves the “Three Islesford Painters” convinced Sawtelle to let them use the loft in the store as an art gallery while he displayed some of the old documents and objects on the first floor. Thus began a 20-year journey to collect and preserve the history of the Cranberry Isles. The Sawtelles moved permanently to the Cranberry Isles in the early 1920s. In 1925 friends, including Robert Abbe, Charles W. Eliot, and George B. Dorr, suggested that Sawtelle form an organization for the sole purpose of collecting donations to construct a fireproof building to house his ever-expanding collection of local history. The Islesford Collection Inc. was formed, and construction of a new museum was begun in 1926 and completed in the fall of 1927. The new museum opened its doors in 1928. Between 1919 and 1939 Sawtelle not only collected and displayed local history, but also wrote and published 13 booklets and numerous articles in newspapers and other publications, such as Sprague’s Journal. His publications covered the history of the Cranberry Isles, the genealogical history of many of the founding settlers of the Cranberry Isles, and the history of Mount Desert Island, as well as New France. 2 Prior to Sawtelle’s death in 1939, he began negotiations with the National Park Service (NPS) to donate the museum, the old Hadlock store (called the “Blue Duck” by Sawtelle), the Islesford Wharf, and the grounds (approximately one acre) to Acadia National Park. Additionally, he made arrangements for the Cranberry Isles Collection and associated collections (Islesford Wharf, U.S. Life Saving Station, Islesford Collection Inc., and the Sawtelle papers) to be purchased by the NPS. These arrangements were finalized in 1948 when negotiations between Sawtelle’s son Edgerton and the NPS were completed. Acadia National Park began managing the collection and museum facilities in 1948. Because Sawtelle never named his museum and did not want it named after him, the park named it the Islesford Historical Museum after its location. Today the Islesford Historical Museum continues to collect and preserve the history of the residents and town of Cranberry Isles. This finding aid is the result of a cataloging and archival processing project funded by the NPS Fee Demonstration Program during fiscal years 2001 through 2004. The park would like to express their gratitude towards the volunteer staff at Acadia National Park for their assistance in carrying out this work. In particular, thanks must go to Bob Jones, Joan Hemke, Andy and Maddy Phaneuf, and Bud Precise. 3 COPYRIGHT AND PRIVACY RESTRICTIONS The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 United States Code 552a) governs the use of materials that document private individuals, groups, and corporations. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a reproduction if the document does not infringe the privacy rights of an individual, group or corporation. These specified conditions of authorized use include: non-commercial and non-profit study, scholarship, research, or teaching criticism or commentary as a National Park Service preservation or security copy for research use as a research copy for deposit in another institution If the researcher later uses a copy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” the researcher is personally liable for copyright, privacy, or publicity infringement and agrees to indemnify the NATIONAL PARK SERVICE from any legal action as a result of the error. Permission to obtain a photographic, xerographic, digital or other copy of a document doesn’t indicate permission to publish, exhibit, perform, reproduce, sell, distribute or prepare derivative works from the document without permission from the copyright holder and from any private individual, group, or corporation shown or otherwise recorded. Permission to publish, exhibit, perform, reproduce, prepare derivative works from, sell or otherwise distribute the item must be obtained separately in writing from the holder of the original copyright (or if the creator is dead from his/her heirs) as well as from any individual(s), groups or corporations whose name, image, recorded words or private information (e.g. employment information) may be reproduced in the source material. The holder of the original copyright isn’t necessarily the National Park Service. The National Park Service is not legally liable for copyright, privacy or publicity infringement when materials are wrongfully used after being provided to researchers for “fair use”. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if fulfillment of the order is judged in violation of copyright or federal or state privacy or publicity law. This institution also places restriction on the use of cameras, computers, photocopiers and scanners in the research room. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acadia Park Collections…………………………………………………….…….. 1 Preface………………………………………………………………….…………. 2 Copyright..…………………………………………………….…………..…….… 4 Table of Contents………………………………………………………………….. 5 Part 1. Collection Description…….………………………………………………. 7 Scope and Content Note…..…………………………………………….… 8 Series Description………..………………………………………………... 9 Part 2: Collection List……………………………………………………………. 11 Part 3: Bibliography…….………………………………………………….…….. 75 5 PART 1 COLLECTION DESCRIPTION SCOPE AND CONTENT SERIES DESCRIPTION