CARRIAGE PATH BRIDGES Acadia National Park 1 3 Bar Harbor 2 Somes 16 Sound 198 15 3 14 198 13 12 11 8 9 3 10 Northeast Harbor 3 0 1 N miles KEY 1 Duck Brook Bridge (1929) 11 2 Eagle Lake Bridge (1928) Amphitheater Bridge (1931) 3 Bubble Pond Bridge (1928) 12 Small Stone Bridge - Hadlock Brook (1926) 4 Jordan Pond - Seal Harbor Bridge (1932) 13 Waterfall Bridge (1925) 5 Stanley Brook Bridge (1933) 14 Hemlock Bridge (1924) 6 Cobblestone Bridge (1917) 15 Deer Brook Bridge (1925) 7 Small Stone Bridge - Jordan Stream (1920) 16 Chasm Brook Bridge (1927 - 28) 8 West Branch Bridge - Jordan Stream carriage path 9 Cliffside Bridge (1932) Park Loop Road 10 other roads Small Stone Bridge - Little Harbor Brook (1919) lake or pond THE CARRIAGE PATHS The carriage paths wind throughout the eastern half of Mount Desert Island traversing over 51 miles of woodland in a stunning landscape of mountains and sea. They were planned and constructed in company with the sixteen bridges by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. who was a summer resident of Seal Harbor during the second and third decades of the 20th century. The plans were reviewed and approved by Frederick Law 01mstead, Jr. Fourteen bridges are located within the park boundaries. The carriage paths thread their way along the natural contours of the terrain at the eastern side of Mount Desert Island, maximizing wherever possible scenic views of the mountains, ponds, and bays that the area is noted for. Frequent rustic, weathered wooden signposts mark destinations at path junctions, mark path names and indicated foot trails that entice one into further penetration of the dense forests. The carriage paths are about 16 feet in width and are contoured with a mound in the center to allow proper drainage. They have been surfaced with gravel throughout, and the Park Service has provided two sections with a finer grade of crushed stone to facilitate bicycle travel. The carriage paths were constructed by a crew of local workers that Rockefeller hand picked for their skill at the outset of his project, one which he closely monitored for its two-decade duration. As part of the network, he also had two massive gates constructed where the paths intersected motor routes at Jordan Pond and at Brown Mountain. These gate complexes consisted of gatekeeper's houses and carriage houses and permitted Rockefeller and his neighbors to have an untroubled entry to the carriage paths while restricting outsiders' use at the same time. The fourteen bridges within the park occur at various points in the carriage paths where a ravine or motor route dictated a crossing. Each bridge is a beautifully executed work, entirely constructed by hand of hand-hewn local granite. They each have artfully conceived and individual design features that blend harmoni- ously with their surroundings and that, in many cases, take advantage of natural waterfalls, site contours and great heights to enhance the drama of the landscape. Frequently small viewer's platforms are designed into the bridges both the view and the handiwork of the bridge may be admired. In one case, a staircase leads to the valley floor so that the particularly spectacular three-span bridge may be seen from all vantage points. There are also chutes piercing the masonry to shed water and protect the structure from deterioration. 1. Duck Brook Bridge The Duck Brook Bridge is a spectacular, three-arch structure which carries the two lane carriage path 40 feet above Duck Brook. Completed in 1929, there is a central 30-foot span flanked by smaller 20-foot spans, each of which has rough- dressed uneven radiating voussoirs with prominent keystones. The stone and mortar substructure is clad in quarry-faced random laid ashlar. The gravel-surfaced deck is 200 feet in length and flares at either end. The railing has dressed ashlar copings and there are pairs of rectangular openings piercing the railing above the lesser arches and three pairs above the main arch. Above the spandrels of the arches, corbelled semi-circular balconies extend into space from the deck to allow the traveller to absorb the scenic wealth from excellent vantage points. The copings on this bridge have been re-pointed. 2. Eagle Lake Bridge The carriage path passes underneath the Gothic-arched Eagle Lake Bridge which carries Route 233 above. It was built in 1927 and is 118 feet in length. The refined Gothic arch spans 30 feet. The stone and mortar substructure are clad in the same material. There is a two-lane deck of bituminous concrete with an asphalt surface that traverses the two-lane, gravel-surfaced carriage path. This bridge was the object of a 1974 widening project that expanded the upper deck to accommodate Route 233 traffic and which received engineering awards for the division. The separate move was made on a system of ball bearings, and featured excellent reseaming with the newly added masonry. 3. Bubble Pond Bridge The Bubble Pond Bridge, completed in 1928, is an elliptical-arched structure rustic in detail. It traverses a two-lane carriage path and carries two lanes, both of which are gravel surfaced. The 30-foot elliptic span is echoed in the railing which slopes outward beyond the opening to a more horizontal plane. The deck is a full 200 feet in length and flares gently at the end. The stone and mortar sub- structure are surfaced in rough dressed random laid rubblestone. The uneven and rough dressed radiating voussoirs form the graceful arch and the keystone block has been carved with the year 1928. The copings, too, are rough dressed and jaggedly set, but still provide a strong horizontal element in this bridge's distinctive profile. 4. Jordan Pond - Seal Harbor Bridge This single arched bridge was completed in 1932. The bridge carries traffic from Seal Harbor to points north and is located on private property. 5. Stanley Brook Bridge The Stanley Brook Bridge, recently acquired by Acadia National Park, is one of only two, three-arch bridges found in the carriage road system. (The other being Duck Brook Bridge.) The deck of the bridge is approximately 125 feet long and the railings consist of granite blocks spaced evenly across the sides providing narrow glimpses of the environment below. A11 of the arches have a useful function. The large, center arch spans an asphalt road that leads visitors into the Park from Seal Harbor. One of the smaller arches shelters a hiking trail that ends at the Jordan Pond House. The other covers a serene, woodland stream that parallels the road. Completed in 1933, it was the last bridge to be built in the system. 6. Cobblestone Bridge The Cobblestone Bridge was the first bridge to be constructed in the carriage path system. It was finished in 1917. It is the only bridge to feature cobblestone rather than cut granite construction. The bridge carries traffic over Jordan Stream and is located on private property. 7. Small Stone Bridge - Jordan Stream The Small Stone Bridge was completed in 1920 and is a compact powerful 40 foot length with a 20 foot single segmental-arched span. Its two-lane, arched, gravel deck is flared at either end. The stone masonry substructure is surfaced in quarry-faced granite blocks which are laid both random and polygonally between the radiating voussoirs of the arch and orderly coping stones of the gently arched rail. The abutments are square, solid masses surfaced in random ashlar and with a flattened pyramidal capstone. 8. West Branch Bridge - Jordan Stream The West Branch Bridge is a very long, 170-foot structure which has a flared and skew approach to its two-lane gravel surfaced deck. The bridge curves sharply over the ravine formed by Jordan Stream and has a small 6 foot stone arch span. The stone and mortar substructure is very simply clad in quarry-faced random laid ashlar and lacks even copings on its side railings. It was built in 1931 and may have been begun several years prior. 9. Cliff Side Bridge The Cliff Side Bridge, completed in 1932, is a 232-foot long structure that most closely resembles a medieval battlement. The two-lane gravel-surfaced carriage path curves out over a vast ravine. The stone and mortar substructure is clad in quarry faced random laid ashlar. The 50-foot span segmental arch as a row of slender and tall radiating voussoirs. On either side of the arch are massive bayed abutments, battered at the base, which at the bridge deck become viewer's platforms. The railing of the bridge is crenelated by the upright placement of massive hand-hewn boulders at regular intervals. The viewers' platforms have the same ponderous crenelation, as well as finely dressed stone chutes set in the masonry to drain water from the structure. 10. Small Stone Bridge - Little Harbor Brook The Small Stone Bridge, built in 1919, carries a two-lane gravel surfaced carriage path over Little Harbor Brook. The bridge is 40 feet long, relatively shorter than other bridges along the carriage paths, and has a main span twenty feet long and a deck twenty feet wide. The single round arch bridge is faced with random laid ashlar with a stone and mortar substructure. 11. Amphitheater Bridge The Amphitheater Bridge, built in 1928, is a long, 236-foot structure that traverses the deep Amphitheater ravine and carries a two-lane carriage path. The gravel- surfaced deck flares broadly at either end. The 50-foot rounded arch span is con- structed of rough dressed, uneven radiating voussoirs and has a prominent keystone. The stone and mortar substructure is clad in quarry faced random laid ashlar and incorporates large projecting blocks set in several discontinous vertical rows. The railing copings are of heavy, rectangular blocks or rough-dressed granite with beveled edges and with a gently peaked stone in the center. The rows of ashlar are not completed to their outer edges and this stepped motif, together with the continuous railing coping their edges support, creates a series of triangular openings piercing the wall. 12. Small Stone Bridge - Hadlock Brook The Lower Hadlock Brook Bridge, completed in 1926, is a small-scaled 40-foot length over a 20-foot span segmental arch. The rail of the bridge follows the line of the arch and flares out gently at either end. There are strong abutments with chinky rounded capstones. The stone and masonry substructure is clad in very rough, quarry- faced ashlar, laid randomly. The radiating voussoirs and rail coppings are similar in texture and the two-lane deck is gravel surfaced. The bridge traverses the quiet Hadlock Brook. 13. Waterfall or Hadlock Brook Bridge The Waterfall Bridge, completed in 1925, carries the two-lane gravel-surfaced deck over Hadlock Brook. The structure is 125 feet in length and flares gently at the ends. The 20-foot span of its rounded arch is outlined by a firm row of quarry- faced radiating voussoirs. The stone and mortar substructure is clad in quarry- faced random laid ashlar and bold blocks of the same material from the railing copings. A pair of semi-circular viewing platforms bow out on either side to take advantage of the view of the bridge and deep ravine. 14. Hemlock or Maple Spring Bridge The Hemlock Bridge, built in 1925, is a massive Gothic-arched structure crossing Maple Spring Brook. It is a very long bridge (185 feet) that curves back sharply in al flare at either end. The Gothic arch span is 30 feet across and is sharply outlined in radiating voussoirs. The stone and mortar substructure is entirely clad in quarry- faced random laid ashlar and the rail coping of large solid square of granite are similarly dressed. 15. Deer Brook Bridge The Deer Brook Bridge, completed in 1925, is a two-lane structure that soars high above its namesake near the Jordan Cliffs. It is 140 feet long, two-lane bridge that has a gravel-surfaced deck and is flared at either end. The two-rounded arches are tall and narrow 8-foot spans, separated by a delicate pier and outlined by slender radiating voussoirs. The entire stone and mortar substructure is clad in quarry-faced random laid ashlar. Set into the spandrel of the arches is a plain, circular medallion into which has been carved the year 1925. 16. Chasm Brook Bridge The Chasm Brook Bridge, completed in 1927, is a rustic and small-scaled 20-foot span that is 40 feet in length. It is built over Chasm Brook and has a stone and mortar substructure clad in quarry-faced random laid ashlar. The long, slender, radiating voussoirs and keystone of the segmental arch and the railing coping are also dressed in the same manner. The two-lane, gravel-surfaced deck is handsomely flared and terminated at pairs of rounded abutments which form pedestals for their gently peaked caps. Brown Mountain Gatehouse Informally known as "The Lodge", Brown Mountain Gatehouse is located near Lower Hadlock Pond along Route 198. It guards the entry to the carriage paths. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. commissioned New York architect Grosvenor Atterbury in association with John Thomkins to design the elaborate gatehouses and gatekeepers' residences for them in 1931. Brown Mountain Gatehouse, built during the next year, is laid out in a half-hexagonal plan with the gate, the Lodge, and the carriage house and the unifying fence bowing away from the auto route and forming the quadrilateral grounds scheme. They were built to control access to the carriage paths and to house the respective gatekeepers. Rockefeller even designed and had cast bells for each gate by which he could signal the gatekeeper when he wished to be let through. The overall composition of these structures is tied into a whole by the use of horizontal polychrome bands running the full length of the quadrilateral plan. The entire western facade is a continuous surface from the gates at the north to the carriage house at the south, the three structures integrated by fences of the same materials. Atterbury used dressed rubble stone masonry from a locally-quarried granite which has laid random and interrupted by precise string-courses of contrasting red brick stretchers in horizontal bands at 15" intervals. An additional unifying feature is the roof material which is used on all three main structures as well as for the coping on the connecting stone and brick fences. It is a crudely made French shingle tile, similar to terra cotta, that comes in shades of brown, red, and black. The gates consist of two enclosing the cypress wood gates and a covered open-air passage set into the segmental-shaped opening. The towers are built in the banded granite and brick motif and are square in plan with chamfered corners giving them right sides. They are each crowned by a steeply pitched, eight-sided spire with a copper finial. The gabled ridge between them has the same shingle tile for its coping as do the towers for their roofs. Each tower roof has a four-sided, bayed, blind dormer above a round-arched window which is set into the masonry. These windows have prominent keystones and voussoirs and are filled with ornamental turned-wood spindles which reappear in window openings of the other two structures. The two-and-one-half story Lodge is a picturesque rendering of a late date Tudor Revival style. It is distinguished by half-timbering on its upper levels that reach up into the gable ends of a steeply pitched roof and also covers a dormered oriel window on the west facade. The predominately vertical half-timbering is a composition of so-called pecky cypress that was burned and treated so as to appear a weathered grey. This framing is filled in with panels of softly variegated red brick laid decoratively in a primarily Flemish bond pattern. The bellcast, gabled oriel of the west facade is flanked by hipped bay dormers. These window treatments have respectively two-and-three light casement windows glazed in rows of decorative circular panes. Massive cypress brackets support the oriel and enclose a horizontal band of two-light casements below it. At the gable peak a pierced wood, round, floral decoration ventilates the attic. The Lodge's entrance is oriented to the rear or eastern expanse of lawns, away from the auto route. The entrance is protected by a projecting, gabled porch with half-timbering in its substantial gable end which in turn frames a ventilating opening to an attic that is filled with turned wood spindles. The west dormers similarly reappear on the east facade. The main entrance has rectangular side and toplights glazed with circular panes. There are original and decorative lead gutters, cachers and leaders. At either gable end of the house are chimneys, slightly inset into the main block, and one is of the banded motif while the other is of granite blocks and randomly placed bricks. They have one and three terra cotta chimney pots respectively. The south chimney has undergone the only major structural alteration, during which an octagonal copper-roofed cupola, a weathervane and wooden wind shield were removed and the stepped stack with its projecting stone copings was built. The immediate impact of the exterior is one of rich variation in texture, materials and ornament interspersed in a composition of strong horizontal and vertical design elements. The Lodge is almost whimsical in the quaint introduction it provides to the near fantasy beauty of the carriage paths. The interior elements include a full basement and attic area. The first story has an entrance hall and staircase to the second floor, a vast living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a laundry and pantry. The second floor has four bedrooms, a bath and several closet spaces. There is one fireplace in the living room and the second chimney supports the kitchen wood stove. The carriage house has a hipped and very steeply pitched roof with a gabled dormer on the east slope presenting a "suicide door" with a hoisting hook suspended above it. A square cupola with a bellcast, peaked spire boasts windows filled with turned wooden spindles ventilate the loft. The rectangular plan structure carries through the banded granite and brick motif and on the west facade is a row of windows across which march turned wooden spindles between a long stone sill and cypress lintel. The complex has undergone little laceration over the decades, is in good condition and is presently used as a staff residence. Jordan Pond Gatehouse The Jordan Pond Gatehouse, near Jordan Pond House, is located at the southwestern end of the Acadia National Park Loop Road and Jordan Pond and guards the entry to the carriage paths. The gatehouse, built in 1932, is a linear complex of a carriage house connecting to the gatekeeper's house via an open-air passageway and a gatehouse connected by a masonry fence. The carriage paths intersect the Loop Road at this point and lead to the Sargent Mountain Path among others. The gatekeeper's house is a late-date Tudor Revival structure of two-and-one-half stories in a rectangular plan with a small, gabled ell at the rear. The first story is of dressed ashlar laid random with a string course of cypress outlining the second story division. The second story is half-timbered with cypress which creates a narrow band on the lengths of the house but which on the widths sweeps up grandly into the gable ends of the steeply-pitched roof. The timbers are set vertically with cross- beams and diagonal bracos and are filled with a softly variegated red brick laid decorative patterns, predominately Flemish bond. The cypress has been burned and treated to give the appearance of a weathered grey. The upper stories form a jetty supported by stone corbels which enclose grade level casement windows with circular panes of leaded glass. On this facade, too, are three hipped dormers with brackets and casement windows. The roof is covered with a crudely made French shingle tile, similar to terra cotta, that comes in shades of brown, red, and black and which extends around to the gable end covering the peak. Set flush with the bottom edge of the tile is a horizontal band of six small windows and beneath them are centered two more longer windows. These apertures are filled with turned wood spindles which mask the ventilating louvers for the attic. The grassy lawns at the center of the house are thickly shaded and form this less formally arranged elevation. An oriel projects over concrete corbels and has three- light casement windows with leaded glass circular panes. The one-and-one-half story, gabled rear kitchen ell is as steeply pitched as the main roof and they each sport a partially inset chimney. The stacks are of the same locally quarried, random laid ashlar as the house and ell and both have decorative, triple terra cotta chimney pots with a chevron inbrication below the rim. A porch, open on two sides, is set into the corner of the house underneath the front jetty with massive stone piers and a deep umbrage, which leads to the main entrance. The area in front of the house has been retained in a naturalistic state, crowded with shade trees and ferns. The interior elements include, on the first floor, a living room with a corner fire- place, a foyer and Bessler staircase, a dining room with a window seat, a pantry and a large ditchen. There are hardwood floors throughout the house. In the kitchen is an original wood-burning Clarion stove. The second floor comprises four bedrooms and a bath and there is also a full basement and attic. The carriage house, a rectangular plan structure with a steeply pitched and bellcast hipped roof, are built of dressed granite ashlar laid random and has massive double leaf, strap-hinged cypress doors. A large gabled dormer dominates the front roof roof slope with a triangular aperture at its peak filled with turned wood spindles. Beneath, a network of two rows of holes for a birdhouse has been incorporated into the design. The rear facade had four-paned windows, and a covered passage connects the carriage house and workshop space to the residence. This walkway also opens to the rear lowns and is sheltered by a gabled superstructure covered by French shingle tiles. A small decorative cupola is perched on top with wood spindles in its window openings. The structure is supported by wood posts with span braces. Similarly constructed masonry fences, which have peaked coping stones along the ridge, lead in unbroken succession from the residence to the gatehouse. The gate towers, square in plan and imposing, are built of the same material with the French shingle tile on their bellcast gabled roofs. Narrow, tall, round-arched windows are in each tower and a wooden gate between them. The Jordan Pond Gatehouse has undergone little structural alteration, is in good condition, and now functions as a staff residence. The carriage paths and bridges are open to use by pedestrians, horses, and bicycles. During the winter, cross country skiing is excellent when snow conditions permit. Snowmobiling is prohibited on most sections of the carriage roads. Significance Built by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. between World War I and the early 1930's, the carriage paths, bridges, and gatehouses are significant becaused of their historical association with the affluent summer colony which resided in the Mount Desert Island region in the early twentieth century. The bridges are significant because they are unique examples of skillful craftmanship and engineering. For about 25 years after 1890, Mount Desert Island was a major resort for the rich and socially prominent. Several members of families of prominent industrialists such as Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Vanderbilt built summer residences in the area. In 1947, a disastrous fire destroyed many of the mansions along the eastern side of the island and obliterated many of the historic structures. The carriage paths and bridge are physical evidence of the interests and activities which were part of the lives of indisputedly significant individuals who lived in the region and shaped its cultural heritage. In 1905 the Maine legislature passed a law barring automobiles from Mount Desert Island. Many local residents opposed the legislature and by 1913 the public roads of the town of Bar Harbor were opened to automobiles. Two years later the remainder of the island was opened to automobiles. Upon the opening of the public roads, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. who had a summer home on the southern end of the island, conceived the idea of constructing a series of horse and carriage roads where he and his friends could ride without encountering automobile traffic. By the time the project was completed, Rockefeller constructed more than fifty miles of carriage roads and 16 bridges. Fourteen bridges and 43 miles of carriage paths are within Acadia National Park jurisdiction. The gatehouses were constructed at either end of the entrance to the carriage paths to limit access to the paths and are therefore an integral part of the historic setting. Architecturally, they are excellent examples of Tudor-revival style. Each bridge has a unique design and was constructed by hand of hewn granite. With the exception of Eagle Lake Bridge, which carries Route 233 and was widened in 1974, the bridges have not been altered. Although at the time of construction several residents opposed building the bridges because they seemed to deface natural beauty, the bridges now demonstrate how bridge construction can blend into the natural environment. CARRIAGE ROAD BRIDGES (listed in order of construction) 1. Cobblestone Bridge, Jordan Stream 1917 2. Small Stone Bridge, Little Harbor Brook 1919 3. Small Stone Bridge, Jordan Stream 1920 4. Two Arch Bridge, Deer Brook 1925 5. Waterfall Bridge, Hadlock Brook 1924 6. Hemlock Bridge, 1925-26 7. Small Stone Bridge, Hadlock Brook, 1926 8. Chasm Brook Bridge, 1927-28 9. Bubble Pond Bridge, 1928 10. Eagle Lake Bridge, 1928 11. Duck Brook Bridge, 1928 12. Amphitheater Bridge, 1929 13. West Branch Bridge, Jordan Stream, 1931 14. Cliff Side Bridge, 1932 15. Jordan Pond-Seal Harbor, 1932 16. Stanley Brook Bridge, 1933 A 17th bridge, over the Park Loop Road, was built in the mid-1940's by the National Park Service. It is not one of the Rockefeller bridges.