Satterlee Field

The Satterlee Estate contained Great Head, where much of this hike takes place.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Amenities

1 listed

Beach/Water Access

In front of you a large piece of granite is adorned with a bronze plaque that reads…

“SATTERLEE FIELD
SATTERLEE FIELD OF APPROXIMATELY
100 ACRES WAS DONATED IN 1949 BY
ELEANOR MORGAN SATTERLEE
TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
IN MEMORY OF HER MOTHER,
LOUISIA P. SATTERLEE,
AS PART OF
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK”

The unique sandy beach down the stairs as well as the distant spit of land also referred to as “The Headlands” (imagine the coastline are ‘shoulders’ and the spit of land is the head jutting off of the shoulders) was once the summer residence of a family named Satterlee. The Satterlee’s estate was commonly called ‘Satterlee Field.'

In 1900, the wealthy financier J.P. (John Pierpont) Morgan purchased 117 acres, including all of Sand Beach and Great Head as a wedding gift for his oldest child and daughter Louisa Peirpont Morgan’s (1866-1946) wedding. Louisa married Herbert Satterlee (1863-1947) in New York City on November 15th, 1900. Louisa and Herbert had two daughters, Mabel born in 1901 and Eleanor born in 1905. The two daughters grew up exploring the landscape and making connections to the rockbound coast of Mount Desert Island.

The Satterlee summer excursions to the coast of Maine came to an end when Louisa died in October of 1946 and Herbert died in July of 1947. Much of the estate was burnt during the October Fire of ’47 (discussed in more detail at a later stop on this hike). The Satterlee family already had an ongoing relationship with Acadia National Park because large portions of park land already bordered Satterlee Field. The Satterlee family even allowed park visitors to explore Sand Beach. After the Fire of ’47, the Satterlee daughters Eleanor and Mabel decided to donate the land in honor of their mother Louisa so others could continue to visit this beautiful landscape for generations to come. Since then, visitors to Acadia have enjoyed the same beach, forests, mountains, and coastline they once enjoyed here in Maine.