The college's main campus building, Kaelber Hall, burned down

From collection College of the Atlantic College of the Atlantic Timeline List (Timeline #1)

On July 25, 1983, Kaelber Hall – COA’s main building – burned down. Housing the school’s library, dining hall, faculty offices, darkroom, computer room and teaching spaces; Kaelber Hall was, in many ways, the heart of campus. The fire was a devastating blow, and threatened the continued existence of the school. Click ‘Read More’ to read about this crucial event in the school’s history.

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Thankfully, the disaster was met with invaluable support from the local community and determination on the part of COA’s faculty, staff and students. With just six weeks before the next academic year commenced, all hands were on deck to get the campus up and running despite the devastation. Local businesses chipped in, giving COA space to haul the debris, lending tips on how to salvage remaining books (The solution to dealing with fire-hozed soaked books? Freeze them in blueberry freezers to keep them from molding. A true Maine innovation!), and generously donating materials lost in the blaze. Neighboring universities Colby College and the University of Maine donated books alongside local establishments such as Sherman’s and the Jesup, helping COA’s library get back on its feet. In total, the college received over 9,000 books as gifts from various institutions. A temporary library was created in town until the new Thorndike Library opened its doors nearly six years after the fire. Two trailers were brought in as temporary classrooms. When the beginning of the school year rolled around, COA was able to open its doors as planned due to the hard work of the buildings and grounds committee and generous support of the community. Despite the massive changes that followed the Kaelbler fire, COA’s community remained creative, resourceful and dedicated to their school. As professor Bill Carpenter put it, “COA was not about buildings; it was about ideas, which are much more resistant to flame.”

Want to learn more? Read through Millard Dorority's (the head of Buildings and Grounds at the time) Oral history or look through photographs of the fire, linked in the 'Related Items.'

Information Sources:

Blake, Corey. “COA: Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and Community.” College of the Atlantic Magazine, College of the Atlantic Magazine, 10 May 2024, rhombus-bassoon-b2sr.squarespace.com/content/coa-fire-earth-air-water-and-community.
Jones, Carrie. “Fleets of Electric School Busses? Thanks to Him, It’s Happening.” Bar Harbor Story, Bar Harbor Story, 27 July 2023, barharborstory.com/2023/07/27/fleets-of-electric-school-busses-thanks-to-him-its-happening/.