BassHerbor Page 1 of 1 Ronald Epp From: "Ronald Epp" To: Cc: Sent: Friday, June 13, 2003 11:08 AM Subject: SW Harbor VIA Reports Dear Ms. Bartlett: Candy Emlen suggested (see below) that I contact you regarding availability and access to Southwest Harbor VIA documents. For the past three years I have been engaged in research for a biography of George B. Dorr and the VIA documents made available to me by Nancy Howland, Bob Pyle, and Debbie Burch have been very helpful to my understanding. For the sake of completeness I need to examine the role of Southwest Harbor VIA in the Joint Path Committee projects of the 1920's and 1930's. I will be visiting MDI July 9-11 and would appreciate knowing when the society offices are open on Wednesday and Saturday. I am also interested in any documents or exhibit material that you think I might find useful to my understanding of the social life on MDI from 1880-1940. I am working closely with Deb Dyer at the Bar Harbor Historical Society for a September 2003 presentation on the relationship between Mr. Dorr and Dr. Abbe which may also appear in the MDI Historical Society Journal. Looking forward to hearing from you. Ronald Epp, Ph.D. Director of the Shapiro Library Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH 03106 603-668-2211, ext. 2164 Original Message From: Candy Emlen Sent 6/13/05 letter To: r.epp@snhu.edu Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2003 3:07 PM Subject: Documents Dear Dr. Epp, We have one pamphlet from the Southwest Harbor Village Improvement Association dated 1932. It is in paper format. You are certainly welcome to look at it while you are here in July. The Tremont Historical Society would most likely have the earlier documents you are looking for. They are in the process of redoing their museum so their collection is in a bit of a chaotic state at the moment but it would be well worth it to contact them. Arlene Bartlett is the President, her number is 207.244.5268. The address of the Society is P.O. Box 215, Bass Harbor, ME 04653. They are open Wednesday and Saturday afternoons in the summer. I would suggest calling Ms. Bartlett directly and she can guide you from there. I hope this information is helpful. Good luck with your research. Candy Emlen Director Southwest Harbor Public Library 6/13/2003 PROPERTY OF THE TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS, ARCHIVES AND RESEARCH CENTER June 30, 1965 Hon. John S. F. K. Rathbone, Esq. Secretary National Trust of England 42 Queen Annes Gate London S. W. 1, England Dear Sir, Next year the Massachusetts Trustees of (Public) Reservations will celebrate the 75th Anniversary of its charter; and in anticipation of that event I am compiling information which might be included in a history of the organization and of the movement for "preservation of beautiful and historic places." It is the "tradition" that the "National Trust of England" got its start soon after the Trustees were organized and utilized some of the wording and supporting arguments from the initial program of the Trustees. I am anxious to get as clear a statement as possible of the relationship between the two organizations and ask your assistance in that endeavor. To start that effort I am enclosing herewith a version of the story as I have pieced it together from conversations with my grandfather, father and with former trustees who knew my uncle - Charles Eliot - the reputed founder of the Trustees. Since those "conversations" took place 20-45 years ago, my memory of them may be far from what I was actually told, but my recollections may be helpful in developing the actual history. I am particularly interested in learning the names of the founders of your organization or those of "instigators" of action, in order to check any connections with my uncle or with others among the original Massachusetts group of Trustees. Any help you can give me will be deeply appreciated by Yours sincerely, Charles W. Eliot PROPERTY OF THE TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS, ARCHIVES AND RESEARCH CENTER 2 Charles Eliot spent several months during 1886 in Britain and Europe studying examples of landscape architecture. In England he met and afterwards kept up with a number of friends who were interested in the same subjects. At home in Massachusetts during 1890 Eliot found several groups of citizens interested in historical preservation, in conservation, and in landscape compositions to whom he suggested that an organization for "preservation of beautiful and historic places" might be desirable. He argued that the Trustees of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts were authorized to preserve and exhibit paintings and sculpture, why not a companion organization to preserve natural or man-made scenery and sites? He drafted the proposed legislation to establish a Corporation patterned on the Museum of Fine Arts and Harvard College and rallied the support for passage of the Authorizing Act by the General Court. It is my understanding that in his correspondence with his friends in Britain, Eliot conveyed his enthusiasm for this project and his elation over his success in its advancement, with the result that the wording of the Massachusetts Act was utilized in the original proposal for the organization of the National Trust of England. A comparison of the two acts shows: (Can you supply the British Act?) The Massachusetts Act - Chapter 352 of the Acts of 1891 reads as follows: PROPERTY OF THE TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS, ARCHIVES AND RESEARCH CENTER 8. Charles J hiting AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE TRUSTEES OF PUBLIC RESERVATIONS[*] adley Chapter 352, Acts of 1891 10 3. Massachusetts General Court J on T. `garet SECTION I. Frederick L. Ames, Philip A. Chase, Christopher Mrs. Theodore T., Clarke, Charles R. Codman, Elisha S. Converse, George F. Hoar, ick W John J Russell, Leverett Saltonstall, Charles S. Sargent, Nathaniel S. Shaler, George Sheldon, William S. Shurtleff, George H. Tucker, nd Id S. Francis A. Walker, George Wigglesworth, their associates and len S successors, are hereby made a corporation by the name of THE obrey ace D. H TRUSTEES OF PUBLIC RESERVATIONS, for the purpose of acquiring, Mrs. L. Ware ses holding, arranging, maintaining, and opening to the public, under Mrs. Rodney suitable regulations, beautiful and historical places and tracts of in land within this Commonwealth, with the powers and privileges ney M. rederic E. and subject to the duties set forth in chapter one hundred and ippen, Jr fifteen of the Public Statutes and in such other general laws as y P. now are or hereafter may be in force relating to such corporations; Ervin R but said corporation shall have no capital stock. SECTION 2. Said corporation may acquire and hold by grant, B Memorial Fund gift, devise, purchase, or otherwise, real estate such as it may deem worthy of preservation for the enjoyment of the public, but not exceeding one million dollars in value, and such other property, Club it Church, both real and personal, as may be necessary or proper to support 1b All Souls Church or promote the objects of the corporation, but not exceeding in First Church the aggregate the further sum of one million dollars.[t] Cornelius A SECTION 3. All personal property held by said corporation, and tt all lands which it may cause to be opened and kept open to the rnice A public, and all lands which it may acquire and hold with this M object in view, shall be exempt from taxation, in the same manner Jr Donald and to the same extent as the property of literary, benevolent, Maples charitable, and scientific institutions incorporated within this Commonwealth is now exempt by law but no lands so acquired and held and not open to the public shall be so exempt from taxa- tion for a longer period than two years. Said corporation shall never make any division or dividend of or from its property or income among its members. SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon its passage. *The name THE TRUSTEES OF PUBLIC RESERVATIONS was changed to THE TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS by vote of the Corporation at its meeting on January 20, 1954 Name changed by Act of Legislature on February 4, 1954. tIn accordance with the provisions of Chapter 289, Acts of the General Court 1963, The Trustees may hold both real and personal property to the amount not exceeding in the aggregate $10,000,000. 63 CHARLES ELIOT Secretary of The Trustees of Public Reservations, 1891-1893 Chairman of the Standing Committee, 1894-1897 THE TRUSTEES OF PUBLIC RESERVATIONS originated in the vision and through the persuasive enthusiasm and well-directed diligence of Charles Eliot. He first proposed a plan "for preserving for public use and enjoyment places of natural beauty and historical interest," in an article in Garden and Forest in February, 1890, and followed up this proposal by enlisting, through interviews and correspondence, the cooperation of people of influence in all parts of the State. He wrote the original statement of purpose, brought together a small committee to promote the scheme and sent out invitations for a con- ference of interested people which met in Boston on May 24th, 1890. Mr. Eliot, as the secretary of this gathering, wrote the circulars de- scribing the plan, contributed articles and letters to the newspapers and, finally, in cooperation with a Conference Committee, drafted a bill for the incorporation of THE TRUSTEES. He conducted with convincing ardor the hearing before the Judiciary Committee on March 10, 1891. The Act was duly voted by both Houses and was signed by Governor Russell on May 21, 1891. Mr. Eliot became, with- out stipend, the first secretary and executive officer of THE TRUSTEES. One of the first achievements of THE TRUSTEES was the presenta- tion, again at Mr. Eliot's initiative, of the need for more and better recreational facilities in and about Boston. Again an efficient Com- mittee was appointed, a bill drafted and presented to the Legislature in December, 1891. Mr. Eliot made the opening address at the hearing and the Act establishing the Metropolitan Park Commission was passed and approved by the Governor on June 2, 1892. Mr. Eliot, with his partners, became the consulting landscape architects of the Commission and the plans for metropolitan parks and reserva- tions, the Charles River Dam, Basin and Esplanade, the public beaches at Nantasket and Revere and the parkways of the district are largely of his devising, though he did not live to see their completion. All this, as was written of him, was "the achievement, in the main, of one public-spirited, well-informed and zealous young man, availing himself of a strong sentiment already in existence, taking counsel with judicious friends, winning the support and personal help of busy men in high station and concentrating at each vital point the influence of thousands of good citizens." Courtesy of University Press Mr. Eliot died on March 25, 1897 in his thirty-eighth year. The CHARLES ELIOT Standing Committee of THE TRUSTEES, meeting on the day after his death, summed up his services in these words: "Charles Eliot found Secretary of The Trustees of Public Reservations, 1891-1893 in this community a generous but helpless sentiment for the preserva- Chairman of the Standing Committee, 1894-1897 tion of our historical and beautiful places. By ample knowledge, by intelligent perseverance, by eloquent teaching, he created organiza- tions capable of accomplishing his great purposes and inspired others with a zeal approaching his own." The Newsletter of the Tremont Historical Society Vol. 7 No. 1 Spring 2003 Published quarterly at Bass Harbor, Maine. The Society is a non-profit organization, whose officers are: Arlene Bartlett, President; Charles Liebow, Vice President; John MacDuffie, Secretary; and Joe Marshall, Treasurer. The Newsletter is ordinarily mailed to members and contributors. From the President's Desk Spring greetings to all! Winter was a tough one in many ways for everyone, but let us not give up. Maybe we got just a little spoiled during the last few winters. Now we are looking forward and making plans for the coming summer season. We invite anyone reading these words to join us in attending our monthly speaker meetings, 7:00 p.m. at the Library in Bernard on the 4th Monday of the month (see schedule of upcoming speakers elsewhere in this issue.) Or perhaps you have items you might donate to our Yard Sale. This will take place on Saturday, July 26th, beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the Fire Station in Bass Harbor. We have a storage building available if you'd like to have your items picked up anytime prior to the day of the sale. For more information, call me at 244-5268. We are in need of volunteers to keep the Country Store Museum open on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., from June 25 through October 15th. It is a most enjoyable opportunity to meet our museum visitors and share all that we have to offer. Training will be provided for volunteers. The Tremont School is planning a field trip to the Museum before the end of school. We are looking forward to sharing our museum with the youngsters. We've had some great speakers and programs this year, and plan to continue seeking out folks who can share interesting historical information and experiences. Please know that you are invited, as our meetings are for everyone, not just members. And please try to bring a friend. If you have not joined or been active with us, we hope you will accept our cordial invitation to do SO. We do not try to put folks to work unless they are willing, but we surely would like to have your company. Hoping you'll visit the Museum this summer, Arlene Bartlett, President Trivia Question for December is still unanswered! I still have not found out what is meant by the letters dv after someone's name in a newspaper story in the 19th century, when the person died in an accident or disaster and the newspaper did not know the home town of the person. The nearest thing to it is the words Deo Volente, meaning "God willing" but the custom in this case is to put periods after the two letters, "d.v." Can anyone help us unravel this mystery? Ed. 1 Dr. Joseph Dana Phillips Automobile Activist By Maurice Joseph Marshall Whenever I look into our local history, a small inquiry leads into SO many related large subjects that it is hard to keep from being seduced by them to divert from my original intent. So much of our local history involves actions that affect other developments in seemingly unrelated areas as dominoes falling in order leading to an end that we see ahead only when upon it. The struggle over automobiles in the early 20th century on Mount Desert Island has been written from many different perspectives depending upon the author's background. The Rusticator's Journal contains an essay from an environmental viewpoint. The Living Past by Virginia Somes-Sanderson gives the view from the village of Somesville. Several years ago, Yankee magazine covered one incident in 1909 involving my grandfather, Dr. Joseph Dana Phillips, in their short one-page format. He was the second resident of Southwest Harbor to test a March 1909 law prohibiting automobiles in Eden (Bar Harbor), Mount Desert, and Tremont; but not Southwest Harbor. My mother referred to my grandfather as being "from away"- he was born in Orland and grew up in Hancock. At eighteen he began what would be four summers working on a fishing vessel on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland His earnings from this period paid his way to the Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield. His older brother George was a doctor in Bar Harbor, Joseph chose to follow him into medicine and graduated from the University of New York in 1886. He set up a practice in Southwest Harbor after spending time working with his brother in Bar Harbor The new Dr. Phillips faced difficulties reaching his patients on the offshore islands due to the weather. His experiences on the Grand Banks gave him skills that enabled the residents of Cranberry Isles, Swans Island, the Duck Islands, Mount Desert Rock, and the smaller islands to receive medical care. Many times he arrived too late to save a life and could only console a grieving family while stranded on an island due to rough weather. He was noted for his care of those suffering from pneumonia, staying with a patient day and night through the worst of the affliction. Dr. Phillips once sat with an expectant mother rocking in a Great Cranberry Island kitchen until the baby decided to enter the world. He was trained as an obstetrician. Joseph Dana Phillips soon began working to better the public health in Southwest Harbor by forming the Water Company in 1893 to bring fresh drinking water from Long Pond to the community. In 1895, he served as a Trustee of the newly-formed Southwest Harbor Public Library. He helped organize what became the Causeway Club, worked to establish the Mount Height Cemetery, participated in the Village Improvement Association, and helped to establish the Pemetic Odd Fellows Lodge, serving as Treasurer for many years. Dr. Phillips took an active role in the affairs of Southwest Harbor before and after the area separated from Tremont in 1905. But to the automobile wars. In 1903, the Maine Legislature passed an act allowing Bar Harbor (then Eden) to ban automobiles from certain roadways in the town. Opponents of automobiles on Mount Desert Island as a whole lobbied Augusta and in March 1909 a special act was passed to "prohibit the use of automobiles in the towns of Eden, Mount Desert, Tremont, and Southwest Harbor on the island of Mount Desert." At special town meetings, Eden, Mount Desert, and Tremont voted to accept the special act. However, at their special town meeting on July 16, 1909 Southwest Harbor voted 110 to 84 to reject the special act. This meant that a resident of Southwest Harbor could operate an automobile within the town, but could not use one to travel to Trenton or Ellsworth without violating the law in the other three towns. continued on page 4 2 Upcoming Programs for Society Meetings Meetings occur on the fourth Monday of the month; time is 7:00 p.m. Meetings are held at the Bass Harbor Memorial Library, Bernard May 26 "Readings from clippings in the Museum" - Bob and Arlene Bartlett June 23 (Annual Meeting) "Rear Admiral Byrd" - Spencer Ervin July 28 "Post Card Collection" - Earl Brechlin Two Programs in August Aug. 18 "The Dix Family" - Raymond Robbins Aug. 25 "Samuel Eliot Morison" - Wayne Libhart Sept. 22 "Ruth Moore" - Muriel Davisson "Theatrical Society of Tremont" - Harvey Kelley Oct. 27 "Life and Times of Capt. Bob Bartlett" (film) - Bob Bartlett Nov. 24 "Fish Tales by Local Fishermen" - speakers TBA RESPONSE FORM Please clip and mail to Tremont Historical Society, P.O. Box 215, Bass Harbor ME 04653 Yes I/we wish to begin membership in the Tremont Historical Society Yes I/we wish to renew membership for another year. Enclosed is my check in the amount of $10.00 per person for annual dues. Please make checks payable to Tremont Historical Society Dues paid at any time of the year will provide membership status through the next June. Contributions to the Annual Fund in any amount carry membership status until the following June. Please list names of all persons for whom dues are paid, or all donors of contributions. Name Phone Address Street or Box # Town State Zip Check if this is a summer address If different, please enter winter address below: Address Street or Box # Town State Zip 9 MISSION STATEMENT Adopted June 24, 2002 By the Membership Tremont Historical Society The Tremont Historical Society shall be dedicated to preservation of the history of the towns of Tremont and Southwest Harbor and adjacent islands. It will achieve this mission by gathering, cataloging, preserving, and making available to the public historical materials, such as genealogies and information showing the growth and development of the towns, as well as artifacts. Tremont Historical Society Non-Profit P.O. Box 215 Organization Bass Harbor ME 04653 Postage Paid Bass Harbor ME 04653 Permit No. 7 Prepared especially for SPRING 2003 NEWSLETTER