Schoodic Peninsula Historic District, Acadia National Park, Hancock County, ME

From collection Place List - History Trust

Schoodic Peninsula Historic District, Acadia National Park, Hancock County, ME

Schoodic Peninsula is a rocky, wooded headland that juts into the Atlantic at Winter Harbor, Maine. Five miles to the west across Frenchman Bay lies Mount Desert Island and the main part of Acadia National Park. The Schoodic Peninsula Historic District is associated with the multiple property listing Historic Resources of Acadia National Park, and covers resources within park boundaries on Schoodic Peninsula and Big Moose Island. Two historic contexts developed in the borader multiple property listing are relevant to the historic resources included in this district. Schoodic Peninsula also contains a cluster of archeological resources. These include prehistoric Native American sites and small homesteads and settlements occupied by later settlers of European or African American descent. Although these resources predate the period of significance and thus are not included in this nomination, they may be eligible for listing in the National Register under Criterion D. Such resources will be evaluated within the framework of these early settlement historic contexts as they are developed (edited NRHP nominaton text).

Details

Local activities to both protect and provide public access to the scenic peninsula led to its addition to Acadia in 1929. Although geographically separate, Schoodic Peninsula shares with the rest of Acadia not only a common history, but also the same tradition of design in its constructed features. This linkage is readily apparent on the landscape. Initial development by the National Park Service (NPS) in the 1930s, including the construction of a new park road and a naval facility, were begun largely at the behest of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. These and subsequent NPS projects provided public facilities compatible with the natural environment as expressed through a rustic design vocabulary. The Schoodic Peninsula Historic District encompasses 1,083 acres, along the shore line and the south-east portion of the peninsula within the 2,125-acre park boundary.
The Schoodic Peninsula Historic District contributing resources consist of the Schoodic loop roadway system, Schoodic Head roadway,  a Civilian Conservation Corps-era truck trail,, hiking trails, three buildings, a commemorative plaque, and sites developed for visitors and park staff. The three developed areas include Schoodic Head, Schoodic Point, and Blueberry Hill. The principal circulation systems, which consist of the roads and hiking trails, have been subject to little or no rerouting or excessive widening. Each contributing resource in this group has retained its historic alignment and relationship to the natural topography.The site's significance is based on two of the three contexts outlined in the Historic Resources of Acadia National Park Multiple Property Multiple Property Listing. They are: John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and the Development of the National Park System (1913- 1958), and Rustic Design (1890-1958). The latter includes a sub-theme Rustic Design in the National Park Service, which is applicable to the resources evaluated in this nomination. Some of the eligible properties are associated with more than one historic context. The period of significance in the Multiple Property document is 1890-1958. Therefore the period of significance for Schoodic Peninsula is 1930-1941, the period of construction. Properties associated with John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and the Development of the National Park System are locally significant according to Criterion B for the period 1930 to 1935. (edited version of NRHP nominaton text)