A long-smoldering boundary dispute between Bar Harbor and Gouldsboro over a historic islet threatens to erupt in a Bar Island Brouhaha By Gladys O'Neil I IMMEDIATELY, in the minds of some fifty years, and the only visible yet say for certain how the boundary most people, the name Bar Harbor signs of its past residents are scattered question will be settled, most of the in- inspires thoughts of wealthy rusticators stone foundations and crumbling walls. volved parties heartily agree with Town pursuing an elegant, indulgent lifestyle This period of dormancy, however, may Manager Plante's opinion that "whoever in an era of opulence. But few realize soon end due to the fact that two present- drew the original line had no idea of the that this legendary Mt. Desert Island day landowners have applied for building headaches he would cause." watering hole took its name from a sand permits. The prospect of a repopulated bar which, at low tide, connects it to a Bar Island, albeit on a modest scale, has, nonetheless, precipitated a renewal of A S a young girl, of course, I was only sixty-five-acre island lying a quarter of vaguely aware of any such jurisdic- a mile off its northern shore. The island, the controversy over its municipal juris- tion problems. I would walk to Bar Island also named for this natural barrier, is diction. Since the island is located forty- with a few friends on any sunny summer Bar Island, and, to the delight of many, seven miles by land and seven miles by day when low tide occurred during the it is possible every six hours to walk or water from Gouldsboro, officials there morning or early afternoon. With our drive across the ridge of hard-packed and in Bar Harbor agree that it is un- picnic baskets we crossed the bar just as sand and gravel. realistic to expect the distant town to the sand began to be exposed. To protect Oddly enough, this island, SO close to assume responsibility for providing our feet against sharp-edged mussels and Bar Harbor's shore, is actually part of police and fire protection and other rough stones, we always wore sneakers; Gouldsboro, a mainland town almost di- municipal services to any future island always, too, we suffered a shock as we rectly across Frenchman's Bay. Or SO the residents. "Even though we would have stepped into the icy, pale green water. court decided when a test case to deter- no legal obligation to respond to On exploring the island, we would see mine municipal jurisdiction of the island emergencies on Bar Island, obviously we beautiful white yachts coming in to dock was brought before it in 1910. The case would have a moral one," says Bar Har- at the Bar Harbor wharf, or a sightseeing arose when the town of Bar Harbor sued bor Town Manager Richard Plante. boat beginning its tour of the bay. Our Flora Rodick Pineo, owner of four-fifths Gouldsboro selectmen and members of favorite picnic site was a grassy slope of the island, for $591.60 in back taxes. the Bar Harbor town council are consid- from which we could watch the billowing Gouldsboro, however, in its charter of ering various options to iron out a solu- sails of the Bar Harbor Yacht Club fleet February 16, 1789, had claimed all of the tion to the problem. One possibility in- racing in the distance. Conveniently close Porcupine Islands, of which Bar was one. volves annexation of the island by Bar by on this slope were blueberry bushes In vain did Bar Harbor's lawyer argue Harbor, but such a move would have to heavily laden with plump berries. Time that the island was not a true one because be approved by Gouldsboro voters (who passed so quickly on these happy excur- of its quite literal connection to shore. rejected a similar proposal in 1969) and sions that it was easy to forget that the Bar Island has not been inhabited for by the state legislature. While no one can tide waited for no one. Approaching the Illustration from Bar Harbor Historical Society Collection 29 bar, we were invariably startled to find it partially covered again, and SO had to MT. make fast tracks away from the island. While Bar Island bore many names KATAHDIN over the years, it was long called Rodick Island, after the family who lived there for several generations. Its original CRUISES owner and one of the town's earliest settlers was Daniel Rodick, who bought The Best Way to See the Best of Maine! the offshore property in 1792 and later gave half of it to his son David. David's eighth child and namesake, born in 1815, SPRING SEASON OUT OF BANGOR SUMMER SEASON OUT OF ROCKLAND lived on Bar all his life, and at his death Starts May 7 to June 19, 1983 June 21 to September 12 left the island undivided to his five chil- dren. The Rodicks and Bar Island there- Thursday: Departure Time: 11:30 (to 1 P.M.) Join us Daily Departures seven days a week, each day at 10 for lunch cruising the Penobscot River. A.M., 2 P.M., 6 P.M. (Dinner cruise Monday, Friday, fore became an integral part of Bar Har- Departure Time: 7 P.M. Four-hour cruise Saturday and Sunday all with live entertainment). bor history. down the Penobscot River. Friday and Saturday: Moonlight Cruises departing at David Rodick, Jr., was actively en- Live Entertainment. 10 P.M. Dinner Cruises departing at 6 P.M., featuring steamship round, seafood gaged in the fishing business during Friday: Departure Time: 11:30 A.M. (to 1 P.M.) Join us for lunch on the Penobscot River. newburg and dessert. those years when vessels bound for the Departure Time: 7 P.M. Four-hour cruise Wednesday and Sunday: Early Morning Cruises de- Grand and Georges banks put into Bar down the Penobscot River. parting at 7 A.M. and lasting two hours. Harbor to buy barrels of herring for bait. Live Entertainment. Sunday: Downeast Clambake Cruise, departing On any summer day, thousands of Saturday: Departure Time: 1 P.M. Four-hour nar- at 6 P.M. and offering lobster, clams, rated cruise to Bucksport and back. bushels of herring could be caught in the corn, rolls and dessert. Departure Time: 7 P.M. Four-hour cruise several weirs built off the southern shore down the Penobscot River. Penobscot Bay awaits you with its picturesque light- of the island. When the fish were run- Live Entertainment. houses, quaint and famous Camden and Rockport harbors and the world-famous windjammers. Snack ning, a flag was raised on a tall pole in Sunday: Departure Time: 9 A.M. Three-hour Sun- bar and cocktail bars available on all cruises. day morning cruise. the open field as a signal to passing fisher- Departure Time: 1 P.M. Four-hour cruise men. Ice, too, was sold from the Rodicks' down the Penobscot River to Bucksport For more information on all icehouses on the Bar Harbor shore. So and back. MT. KATAHDIN successful were their enterprises that Be sure to join us aboard the Mount Katahdin to cruise the beautiful and historical Penobscot River, CRUISES David Rodick, having the foresight to with its bald eagles and wildlife. It will also transport call us at 207-594-8417, or write us at see Bar Harbor's potential as a great you to the time in the last century when gracious side- P.O. Box 1112, Rockland, Maine 04841. summer resort, accumulated enough wheelers glided up and down this river. Charters and group rates available. money to build two cottages there for boarders; later, with the help of his sons, he constructed what became the famous Blueberries, beautifully Rodick House. Expanded in 1882, it was advertised as the largest summer hotel in New England. When the fishing busi- ness declined and yachting became popu- lar, David's son Milton stored boats for the winter, hauling them up along greased ways and placing them upon cra- dles neatly lined along the shore. Cer- tainly nobody could accuse a Rodick of lack of industry. B AR Island had long been self-sus- taining, the land and waters around it providing all the necessities for living. The tireless Rodicks raised fruits and vegetables, and kept chickens and cows; they even did spinning and weaving with the wool from their sheep, which were pastured on nearby Sheep Porcupine. Seeing no reason for change, the family continued this agrarian way of life even by UNION STONE WARE after their hotel business was hugely successful. Union, Maine Across the road from the Rodicks' Available at these fine stores sturdy Cape on the hilltop was a large plum dandy THE GREAT INDOORS Deals Frinelry barn and, next to it, a tool and work house. Alongside, in an old stable, Flora Store Rodick's lawyer-husband, Charles Pineo, later bred trotting horses; and in one of Dock Square 141 Maine Street 97 Main St. Kennebunkport Brunswick Ellsworth several long, low buildings were the Bar 207-967-4013 207-729-0965 207-667-2161 Harbor Kennels where, at the turn of the century, Mr. Pineo raised pointers. His 200 pedigreed dogs became well known all over the country. Farther up this road was a large hayfield close by the highest 30 point of land on the island, named The Mountain by the Rodicks. On the south- ern shore was a one-story stucco house, The Bungalow, built in 1907 on land purchased from Mrs. Pineo by Mrs. Horatio Nelson Slater. Designed by her architect-brother, Paul Hunt, its style, Bucksport new at the time, soon became popular. Box 826 It was about two years later that the Bucksport, Maine 04416 town of Bar Harbor laid plans to build a bridge to the island, but a group of sum- mer residents obtained an injunction to stop this. Almost immediately, Edward Painting by Harriet Hill Stotesbury, wealthy president of Philadelphia's Drexel and Company, bought forty acres of the island for over Souvenirs Dining $100,000, thus effectively quashing any Room Greeting Cards further bridge-constructing ideas. If a Lounge SEEA PTOPLE bridge were to be built, people agreed, Summer Apparel Coffee Shop Mr. Stotesbury could well afford to build Toys Guest it himself. Fabrics Rooms 1798 Open 6 A.M. On the rocky shore of the island's Crafts to A.M. northern side, the Mt. Desert Canoe Daily Club built its clubhouse and boat pier, in Housewares OLD JED PROUTY SAYS: "People have 1888, on land leased from the Rodicks. BEN FRANKLIN been samplin' my Down East cookin' for nearly It had become fashionable, even some- 200 years. Why don't you!' what daring, to paddle a canoe around We bring variety to life! Main St., Bucksport, Maine 04416 the bay; certainly some 300 members Open 6 A.M. 1 A.M. Daily Main Street Bucksport Tel. 207-469-2371 seemed to find it diverting. Penobscot and Passamaquoddy Indians, who mi- grated to Bar Harbor in the summer, taught the rusticators and their children Jed Prouty MOTEL TOZIER'S the art of handling the birch-bark shells. BUCKSPORT, MAINE 04416 Boat parades, so often described in stories about early Bar Harbor days, FINE FARE were favorite events, as were the ladies' afternoon receptions held three or four times during the season. Teas, music, Bucksport Variety and and dancing drew invited boating guests Food Mart from all over the area; even those without OPEN YEAR ROUND -207-469-3113 Groceries Meats Produce Sandwiches The New Jed Prouty Motel offering 40 units overlooking Penobscot Ice-Cold Beverages boats came to the island from Winter Bay. Spacious rooms furnished with your comfort in mind. Wall-to- Mon.-Sat., 6 A. M. Midnight Harbor and Bar Harbor by steam ferry wall carpeting, private tiled baths, phones and cable television with Sundays, 7 A. M. - Midnight (twenty-five cents for a round trip). Bad HBO. Modern sprinkler system throughout for your safety. Upper Main St., Bucksport. 207-469-2753 weather on reception days brought moans of despair, echoing all across Frenchman's Bay. After a few years, these pleasant af- ROSEN'S fairs had to be discontinued as the small OF BUCKSPORT clubhouse could not accommodate its growing number of patrons. The annual RESTAURANT Main Street regatta was the club's most important Highest quality clothing and footwear summer event, where one could enter PUB for every member of the family. such classes as mixed doubles and double Steaks, Lobsters & Fresh Seafood Specialties Graff of California Pendleton Lunches from $1.95 sculls. There was always an Indian Race Woolrich Topsider Sebago Casual Dress Children's Menu in which these tribal experts with pad- Lee Levi TRAVELER INFORMATION CENTER Sedgfield dles could show off their skills. Interest American Express Welcome Providing Friendly, Personal in the club waned, however, as the In- 207-469-3963 Main St., Bucksport Service For 53 Years dians found other jobs, and as club mem- bers discovered other activities. In 1945, two years before Bar Harbor's devastating fire and seven years after home Mr. Stotesbury's death, the western part K IRSTEIN Maine Crafts Co-op REAL ESTATE of Bar Island was purchased by John D. Tel. 207-469-7979 Rockefeller, Jr., who donated it to Rt. 1, Orland Box 1340, Main Street, Bucksport, Maine 04416. Acadia National Park. Six years later Main St., Ellsworth Branch office: Water St., Castine, Maine 04421 when the eastern section was sold, the Rt. 1, Belfast Looking For Your Dream? trees on The Mountain were cut for Toys * Woodenware * Leather If it's a home, camp, business, land or shorefront- to us! Send for our free brochure of area listings. lumber, leaving its rocky ledges bare. Pottery * Quilts Today on this part of Bar Island, still Name Many Other Unusual Crafts privately owned, the trees have grown Address ALL MADE IN MAINE back, and once again the island has its City State green crown of forest. Tel. 207-469-7961 Zip Tel. 31