Welcome to the home page of the Mount Desert Island Cultural History Project.

Purpose of this project: The purpose of this project is to present information about Mount Desert Island’s cultural history (subject to the limitation described below) that will be of use to visitors as well as to serious researchers and students of history. Topics to be covered by this project are listed below, and links are provided for subjects about which research is underway. It is hoped that the web pages of this project will become as important a storehouse of information and images as are the historical societies, libraries, and private collections that can be experienced only by in-person visits to those sources.

Limitation of this project: This project is currently limited to the cultural history of the primarily European visitors to and settlers of Mount Desert Island, and their successors; that is, those who displaced the earlier indigenous visitors and inhabitants. It is an attempt to describe the lives and activities of those who claimed ownership of the land and subsequently made Mount Desert Island their home.

How to contribute: If you have any material that can be scanned or photographed, please e-mail info@vfthomas.com or write to Mount Desert Island Cultural History Project at the address at the top of this page. Also, your comments and suggestions for additional topics are encouraged.

Businesses - Early businesses on Mount Desert Island.

Cemeteries - A list of Mount Desert Island’s cemeteries, with the location (UTM coordinates and latitude/longitude) given for each, and driving directions to many from a prominent place in a town (e.g., the intersection of two numbered routes). For each cemetery, a link is provided to a page where the names and dates on the gravestones and other markers (sometimes with links to photographs) are given.

Census Records - A table giving which census records (1790–1850) should be consulted for each MDI town. Links to transcripts are provided when available.

Cottages - Past and present named cottages on Mount Desert Island, with historical notes and photographs.

Genealogy - A record of early families of Mount Desert Island (and their off-island relatives as information becomes available).

Hotels and Boarding Houses - Early hotels and boarding houses on Mount Desert Island.

Houses and Outbuildings - Historic homes on Mount Desert Island.

Land Grants and Deeds - A record of early deeds of Mount Desert Island.

Markers, Monuments, and Memorials - Public/outdoor recognition of former Mount Desert Island persons or groups of persons of note.

Postal History - Information about Mount Desert Island’s postal history, including examples of postmarks.

Public Buildings - Public buildings on Mount Desert Island.

Questions - Questions asked by researchers/explorers of MDI.

Schools - Past and present schools on Mount Desert Island.

Town Records - Some town records from Bar Harbor and Tremont.