Oldfarm 1: Meet George Dorr

Two men stand in front of a lake.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

44.37382781, -68.19711298,

Amenities

3 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Pets Allowed

Meet George Dorr

Welcome to Oldfarm, a historic cultural landscape that encompasses the Dorr Family Estate site, including the remains of the family's main home. This video tour will give you a sense of the life and motivations of George Bucknam Dorr, the founder of Acadia National Park who lived here on the Oldfarm estate until his death in 1944.

The trail before you is a window into the past of one of Acadia’s most important people, the park’s first superintendent: George Bucknam Dorr, known as the “Father of Acadia National Park.” He served in this role from 1919 until 1944, overseeing the park's early development and expansion. Dorr's vision and dedication were instrumental in creating the network of carriage roads, hiking trails, and scenic vistas that visitors still enjoy today.

George Bucknam Dorr was born in 1853 in his parent’s home on the shore of Jamaica Pond in the Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain, MA. He came to Mount Desert Island (MDI) with his parents in the summer of 1868, inhabiting small hotels and local boarding homes around Main Street Bar Harbor, known at the time as Eden Village.

Eight years later, following the death of his eldest brother William in 1876, George’s parents, Charles Hazen Dorr and Mary Gray Ward Dorr, shifted their focus to constructing their Bar Harbor summer home, Oldfarm, on 90 acres at Compass Harbor. The property's entrance is a mile south of the Bar Harbor village green. Irrigation pipes and old culverts off the Schooner Head Path are still visible.

Throughout his tenure as park superintendent beginning in 1916, Dorr continued to acquire and donate land to expand the park, working closely with other conservationists and philanthropists like John D. Rockefeller Jr. His commitment to Acadia lasted until he died in 1944 at the age of 90, leaving behind a legacy of conservation that continues to inspire park stewards and visitors alike.

Here are some tips for your exploration:

The NPS application uses the Global Positioning System function in your device to locate you as you move around the Oldfarm Estate. Your position will be indicated by the blue dot on the map. On some days you may get erroneous GPS locations due to the heavy tree canopy above you in summer and fall, so common sense should be your first guide in your explorations! You can still use the application by looking at the map and selecting stations or just by selecting stations from the list. The stops displayed on your map correspond with numbered wooden posts and associated historic photos and short videos.

Stay on the path shown on the application that starts at the parking area. This path will take you along the historic Manor House driveway but then it diverges towards Compass Harbor and turns south before reaching Dorr Point. The suggested path then ascends the historic stone stairway up to the Manor House. The stairs ascent might be too strenuous for some visitors. Use common sense. At the top of the stairs are the remains of the Manor House, and the return path to the parking lot. There are many cultural artifacts here such as building bricks and stone. All of these are protected by Federal and State law.

Do not move or take any artifact. Please do not rebuild any structure. Help us keep this place in its current condition by watching out for this historic treasure and reporting any vandalism or destructive behavior you may observe. The main Acadia National Park telephone number is [phone].

Together we can protect the remains of Oldfarm.

Duration:

41 seconds

Station One of the Oldfarm Video Tour