Preservation Magazine, Summer 2016

Timeline: Maine Event at Acadia National Park

Encompassing more than 37,000 acres, Acadia National Park, the first national park in the eastern United States, celebrates 100 years of conservation this summer. We take a look at the coastal Maine haven’s path to its centennial.

1604

Samuel de Champlain explores the area he renames Isle de Mont Desert, which had been home to the Wabanaki people for thousands of years.

1916

Lobbied by park champion George B. Dorr, President Wilson establishes Acadia’s precursor, Sieur de Monts National Monument.

1929

Renamed Lafayette National Park in 1919, Acadia National Park is awarded its final moniker by Congress.

Carriage road system

photo by: Library of Congress/HAER ME-13-25

George B. Dorr looking out over the park

photo by: Courtesy NPS Photo archive

1947

A massive coastal Maine fire leaves more than 8,000 acres of scorched earth in the park.

1986

Local residents establish conservation nonprofit Friends of Acadia, dedicated to volunteer work and ongoing stewardship.

1995

Rehab of the park’s extensive carriage road system, created by philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. from 1913 to 1940, begins.

2016

Acadia marks its centennial with a year of special events and programs. For a list, visit acadiacentennial2016.org.

By: Katharine Keane & Filip Mazurczak

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