A wayside exhibit entitled "Tea, Popovers, and Tradition" is positioned along the observation deck railing.
The exhibit's title appears over a historic sepia-toned photograph of visitors enjoying a picnic on the Jordan Pond House lawn in 1884. Plates, teacups, and food cover a table.
Text explains: For over 100 years, locals and visitors "have come here to enjoy afternoon tea, popovers, and this excellent view of the Bubbles**. Originally built as a farmhouse, the building became a humble restaurant in 1884. In 1895, new owners Thomas and Nellie McIntire added popovers, chicken dinners, lobster stew, and ice cream to the menu in response to the appetites of wealthier travelers. John D. Rockefeller Jr. bought the property in 1928 and donated it to the National Park Service. A private concession company operates these facilities."
An inset shows a historic black and white photograph of the restaurant building. "The pond and restaurant are named for the Jordan family of Seal Harbor, who bought the property in 1839 and ran a sawmill business here. They built the original Jordan Pond House in 1847. It was destroyed by a fire in 1979."
Images show an early Jordan Pond House blue and white plate and a printed menu.
A quote: "…one or a score can get a good rural lunch for a small rural price, or a pitcher of rich milk, or various cold and refreshing beverages or confectionery for the children.: - M.F. Sweetser, Chisolm's Mount-Desert Guide-Book, 1888
