Reams, Virgina NPS Message Page 1 of 5 Epp, Ronald From: Epp, Ronald Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 9:53 AM To: Virginia_Reams@nps.gov Subject: FW: Bar Harbor Female Rusticators Dear Ginny, I read your very interesting article on "Women's Work at ANP" in the FOA Gala Program. I thought you should read the email exchange below with Deb Dyer and my research on the gender of those who deeded properties to the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations. I think that this is a woefully neglected area of park history and should you wish to work with me on some future project to bring some of these interesting stories to public attention, please let me know. Ron Original Message From: Deborah Dyer [mailto:debdyer@acadia.net] Sent: Friday, April 08, 2005 8:55 AM To: Epp, Ronald Subject: Re: Bar Harbor Female Rusticators Ron: I working on a big project for Lydia V. and Earle Shettheworth, who are due here on the 16th(I'll be glad to get this project out of the way!!!). but when I went down to the museum yesterday I looked up in the personality file box about these ladies names you sent to me. Ron- I just don't know the first names of alot of these people. What I have is: Lavina Barry=could she be Mrs. Llewellyn? Benedict=?Mrs. James, and if SO her daughter was Mrs. Philip Livingston I have a listing for Alice Bowler Eunice Cooksey Hayward? Wm. Martin Hayward---if SO they rented Point d'Acadie 1919 Henderson? Mrs. George Homans? Mrs. Charles Lee? Wm Leeds? Warner or Herbert Markoe. yes, death 1937 Ogden, yes death 1936 Pine, Sherdy looked up in the book Traditions & Records of SoW. & it lists about them on p. 274 So that is about what I could do for you quickly yesterday at the museum--hope this helps abit. I learned last week that the town is going to start digging up Ledgelawn Ave. the end of April doesn't sound like I'll be able to open the 3rd week of June!!!! They have to put new sewer lines in!! They say that it will be done by the end of June!! Take care Debbie On Wednesday, April 6, 2005, at 03:25 PM, Epp, Ronald wrote: Dear Debbie, Following up on our phone conversation last week, I've carefully reviewed the list of donors of Hancock County Trustee of Public Reservations land from 1901-1949 and cumulatively women contributed nearly one-third of all parcels (excluding donations from corporate entities). Frankly, I was surprised! To be sure, some were donating land purchased by a apouse or male relative yet the impressive involvement of women in the shaping of what would become Acadia National Park appears to be an untold story. I've extracted a list of names from the 1939 HCTPR History and I wonder whether you might have 8/18/2005 documentation on any of them that might help shape an exhibit. Some resided in other MDI communities. Janet Innis Aldrich Lavina Barry Esther P. Benedict Anna B. Bliss Alice B. Bowler Flora M. Clatworthy Mary Lynde Cochrane Eunice Cooksey Linda Dows Cooksey Linda E. Cousins Mabel S. Cromwell Lottie Fordney Jane Bowler Gilman Mabel S. Hayward Mary F. Henderson Eliza L. Homans Helen A. Homans Katherine A. Homans Marian J. Homans Elizabeth Nicholson Hopkins Ruth Moore Lee Louise Hartshorn Leeds Faith Moore Matilda C. Markoe Alice R. Murray Mary Parkhurst Noyes Mary E. Ogden Caroline Pryor Pine Sybil Priestly Evelyn G. Priestly Edith Pryor Carrie E. Sheperd Helen Sullivan Alice Cox Yarnall Would it not be wonderful if one could use the new software available to gather biographical information from the Bar Harbor Record and Times for instances where each of these names appear, akin to what I can now do with The New York Times from 1850 to 2004 andThe Daily Boston Globe from 1872-1900. This would be a terrific project for an college intern or graduate student interested in expressions of the role of women in conservation philanthropy. Ron Epp Original Message From: Deborah Dyer [mailto:debdyer@acadia.net] Sent: Monday, March 21, 2005 8:30 AM To: Epp, Ronald Subject: Re: Mount Desert Nurseries Nice to hear from you, Ron. Sorry for my absence at the meeting at the library--I of all people should have been there living SO close. I guess that we've all been SO down at times with all the snow!!! Now that spring is here should make a difference! 8/18/2005 Epp, Ronald From: Virginia_Reams@nps.gov Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 3:56 PM To: Epp, Ronald Cc: Shirley_Beccue@nps.gov Subject: RE: Spirit of Acadia events Fall happy rock Septic SOACALBeaverLog 0405.DOC (29 KB Hi, Ron. Thanks for getting the schedule to me so quickly. If we have enough room, we will include all five events. Because our space is limited, however, we may only have room to include the first three events (Abbe Museum exhibit, cog railway talk, father of Acadia talk) in this edition of the Beaver Log, which only covers the month of June. We can include the other events in the July/August Beaver Log, which comes out at the end of June. The June edition should arrive in the park by May 26 or 27, so we would be happy to mail you a copy. Looking over the schedule, I want to be sure I have the information correct. The cog railway presentation is at the BH Historical Society Museum at 2 pm? And your presentation is at the Gates Community Center at COA at 7 pm? The deadline for the July/August edition of the Beaver Log is May 13, as you mentioned. Please send any information to me or feel free to call if you have any questions. Thank you. Ginny Reams Writer-Editor Acadia National Park P.O. Box 177 Bar Harbor, ME 04609 207.288.8806 - Phone 207.288.8813 - Fax "Epp, Ronald" To: CC: 04/25/2005 03:30 Subject: RE: Spirit of Acadia events PM AST Virginia, The attachment contains information that I secured for the June-July "Beaver Log" and validated with the organizations or the exhibitor. We very much appreciate your posting this. By the way, those four historical essays I talked about were to appear in the MDI Islander or BHT, not the Beaver Log. When will the first issue of the Beaver Log appear? If prior to June 1st, will you mail me 1 a copy? Send to my home address : 47 Pond View Drive, Merrimack, NH 03054. Thanks again! Ron Epp P.S. Is May 13th the correct date for deadlines for the July-August "Beaver Log"? Original Message From: Virginia_Reams@nps.gov . [mailto:Virginia_Reams@nps.gov Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 3:24 PM To: Epp, Ronald Subject: Spirit of Acadia events Good afternoon. Shirley Beccue asked me to contact you regarding the schedule of events for the Spirit of Acadia. If you could send the schedule to me by Monday, April 25, we will be able to include a list of June/July events in the June edition of the park newspaper. For the July/August edition, the deadline is May 13. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Thank you. Ginny Reams Writer-Editor Acadia National Park P.O. Box 177 Bar Harbor, ME 04609 207.288.8806 - Phone 207.288.8813 - Fax (See attached file: SOACALBeaverLog0405.DOC) 2 Epp, Ronald From: Virginia_Reams@nps.gov Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 3:24 PM To: Epp, Ronald Impt. Subject: Spirit of Acadia events Good afternoon. Shirley Beccue asked me to contact you regarding the schedule of events for the Spirit of Acadia. If you could send the schedule to me by Monday, April 25, we will be able to include a list of June/July events in the June edition of the park newspaper. For the July/August edition, the deadline is May 13. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Thank you. Ginny Reams Writer-Editor Acadia National Park P.O. Box 177 Bar Harbor, ME 04609 207.288.8806 - Phone list 207.288.8813 - Fax XX is Phone 1 Epp, Ronald From: Virginia_Reams@nps.gov Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 3:56 PM To: Epp, Ronald Cc: Shirley_Beccue@nps.gov Subject: RE: Spirit of Acadia events SOACALBeaverLog 0405.DOC (29 KB... Hi, Ron. Thanks for getting the schedule to me so quickly. If we have enough room, we will include all five events. Because our space is limited, however, we may only have room to include the first three events (Abbe Museum exhibit, cog railway talk, father of Acadia talk) in this edition of the Beaver Log, which only covers the month of June. We can include the other events in the July/August Beaver Log, which comes out at the end of June. The June edition should arrive in the park by May 26 or 27, SO we would be happy to mail you a copy. Looking over the schedule, I want to be sure I have the information correct. The cog railway presentation is at the BH Historical Society Museum at 2 pm? And your presentation is at the Gates Community Center at COA at 7 pm? The deadline for the July/August edition of the Beaver Log is May 13, as you mentioned. Please send any information to me or feel free to call if you have any questions. Thank you. Ginny Reams Writer-Editor Acadia National Park P.O. Box 177 Bar Harbor, ME 04609 207.288.8806 - Phone 207.288.8813 - Fax "Epp, Ronald" kr.epp@snhu.edu> To: CC: 04/25/2005 03:30 Subject: RE: Spirit of Acadia events PM AST Virginia, The attachment contains information that I secured for the June-July "Beaver Log" and validated with the organizations or the exhibitor. We very much appreciate your posting this. By the way, those four historical essays I talked about were to appear in the MDI Islander or BHT, not the Beaver Log. When will the first issue of the Beaver Log appear? If prior to June 1st, will you mail me 1 a copy? Send to my home address : 47 Pond View Drive, Merrimack, NH 03054. Thanks again! Ron Epp P.S. Is May 13th the correct date for deadlines for the July-August "Beaver Log"? Original Message From: Virginia Reams@nps.gov [mailto:Virginia_Reams@nps.gov Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 3:24 PM To: Epp, Ronald Subject: Spirit of Acadia events Good afternoon. Shirley Beccue asked me to contact you regarding the schedule of events for the Spirit of Acadia. If you could send the schedule to me by Monday, April 25, we will be able to include a list of June/July events in the June edition of the park newspaper. For the July/August edition, the deadline is May 13. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Thank you. Ginny Reams Writer-Editor Acadia National Park P.O. Box 177 Bar Harbor, ME 04609 207.288.8806 - Phone 207.288.8813 - Fax (See attached file: SOACALBeaverLog0405.DOC) 2 WOMEN'S WORK AT ACADIA NATIONAL PARK by Ginny Reams Waves crashing along jagged coastline. Raptors soaring high over Cadillac Mountain. Carriage roads meandering through towering spruce trees. Rugged hiking trails climbing to bare granite mountaintops. The special places and resources of Acadia National Park are protected today because of the generous contributions of individual citizens. Perhaps surprisingly for the times, many women were among the early contributors. George B. Dorr himself, known as the "Father of Acadia National Park" for his ambitious efforts to preserve these lands through the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations, credited many of these women in his account of the park's establishment. Dorr's mother contributed greatly, albeit indirectly, to the park. She found pleasure in being outdoors, enjoying drives through vibrant fall colors in her one-horse buckboard and creating extensive gardens at Old Farm, the Dorr family estate in Bar Harbor. In her son, Mrs. Dorr instilled a love of the outdoors and an appreciation for the magnificent scenery of Mount Desert Island, which drove him to protect its lands. To honor her memory, Dorr donat- ed Beaver Dam Pond and the surrounding property to the Trustees to "make a gift to the public of this land in which she had found such happiness." The Trustees received their first significant gift in 1908 from Eliza (Mrs. Charles D.) Homans of Boston. The donation of her tract on Newport Mountain (today's Champlain Mountain) added the Bowl and the Beehive, which rises high above Sand Beach. Another important property was added through the efforts of Mrs. John S. Kennedy of New York. Upon her husband's death, she made certain that the Trustees received the money to purchase Picket Mountain (today's Huguenot Head), which her husband had pledged to Dorr with only his word. Miss Faith Moore and Lady Lee of England, the daughters of Maine native and Wall Street financier John G. Moore, donated their property on the Schoodic Peninsula, even today the park's only mainland site, to the Trustees. It was at their urging that the park's name was changed from Lafayette National Park. Donations of property were not the only contributions made by women. Renowned landscape architect Beatrix Farrand served as a consultant to John D. Rockefeller Jr. during the construction of the park's carriage road system. Farrand developed a planting design for the carriage roads, bridges, gate lodges, and vistas; remnants of this design are still visible today. These are only a few of the women who helped make the park into the unique place we know today. Thanks to these women and many more like them-yesterday and today---we are able to experience the breathtaking scenery and diverse resources of Acadia National Park. 47