• Granite mountains on islands along coast

    Acadia

    National Park Maine

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  • Park Loop Road opening

    May 17, 2013: The entire Park Loop Road and all other paved roads in the park open today. All dirt roads in the park, including the Seal Cove Road, will open on June 3.

  • Trail closures

    April 22, 2013: The Precipice, Orange and Black, Valley Cove, and Jordan Cliffs Trails are closed until further notice because of nesting peregrine falcons. All other trails in the park are open, whether accessible from the park or from state roads.

  • Hulls Cove Visitor Center

    May 17, 2013: The visitor center will open on May 19 and will be open 9-5 every day. All park passes are available there. There is an accessible entrance at the back of the building for those who have trouble climbing stairs.

Collections

book

William Otis Sawtelle Collections and Research Center

 
Collection - Looking at Photos

Looking through the collections at the Center.

NPS

Containing detailed information about the history of Mount Desert Island the Cranberry Isles; this center houses six collections, featuring items from as early as 1596, and are available to the public. The collections contain photographs; town, genealogical, and vessel and trade records; correspondence; books, maps, and pamphlets; artwork; newspapers; and more.

 

Updates

 
Over a four-year period, National Park Service staff and volunteers completed a project to catalog more than 120,000 historic items. The project was funded through the Federal Lands Recreational Enhancement Act. The following collections were processed during this ambitions project:

  • Cranberry Isles Collection: (1596-1939) original documents relating to the maritime and genealogical history of the Cranberry Isles.
  • William Otis Sawtelle Collection: (1692-1941) personal papers of William Otis Sawtelle (founder of Islesford Historical Museum). Items include his research notes on local genealogy, Maine, and New France, as well as his scientific research.
  • Carroll Farm Collection: (1840-1966) documents the lives of the Carroll Family of Southwest Harbor
  • Islesford Wharf Company, Islesford Collection, Inc., and the U.S. Life Saving Station Collections document the history of these organizations on Islesford.
During fall 2007, new storage cabinetry was installed at the collections and research center to expand the capacity to store and manage collections in a state-of-the-art-facility.
 

Visit Us

 
Located at the park's headquarters on Route 233, the William Otis Sawtelle Collections and Research Center is available to the public by appointment only 8:30 am - 4 pm, Monday - Friday. To make an appointment, contact us.

Did You Know?

Cobblestone Bridge, faced with rounded cobblestones, has a stream running underneath.

The historic carriage road system at Acadia National Park features 17 stone-faced bridges spanning streams, waterfalls, cliffs, and roads. The design of each bridge, such as Cobblestone Bridge, is unique.