Just beyond a small parking lot, a wayside exhibit features a panel angled atop a rectangular stone base. The exhibit marks the beginning of a dirt path through the forest.
The exhibit's title, "Compass Harbor Trail," appears over a historic photograph of George B. Dorr, whose official title from 1916 to 1919 was "park custodian." He served as the park's first superintendent from 1919 to 1944. Dorr stands on a ledge, gazing out at a forested hill.
Text reads: "The 0.4-mile Compass Harbor Trail runs adjacent to the foundations of Old Farm, the family residence of George B. Dorr, known as the father of Acadia National Park. A gentleman scholar and lover of nature, Dorr lived here at Compass Harbor most of his adult life and devoted his endeavors and inheritance to the establishment, maintenance, and expansion of Acadia."
An inset photograph shows a rambling house with a peaked roof, and sundecks on the upper stories, over a large porch. Ivy twines around the columns and clings to the brick walls.
The caption reads: "George B. Dorr's affluent Bostonian parents, Charles and Mary Dorr, had this 30-room summer 'cottage' build here in 1876-78. The mansion deteriorated after George's death in 1944 at the age of 90, and the house was razed in 1951."
A quote: "From this fair home behold on either side the restful mountains or the restless sea." - Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., from his poem "La Maison d'Or" about Old Farm, 1891.
Next to the photograph, a small map shows locations along Compass Harbor Trail, which runs adjacent to the original homesite. An arrow points: "You Are Here."
Text reads: "Follow Compass Harbor Trail and look for evidence along the way of the former home and grounds. You will find stone steps leading from the ocean to the foundations, remains of gardens and apple trees, and remnants of a salt water pool."
Notes urge visitors to "Protect the Park:" -Please leave natural and historic features where you find them. -Bicycles are not allowed on Compass Harbor Trail. -Keep pets leashed at all times.
