Northeast Harbor, Maine

Northeast Harbor is a village on Mount Desert Island, located in the town of Mount Desert in Hancock County, Maine, United States.

Northeast Harbor
Coordinates: 44°17′39″N 68°17′23″W

Boats docked at Northeast Harbor. The Asticou Inn is in view on the left of the picture

Northeast Harbor (c. 1905)

Northeast Harbor (2014)

The village has a significant summer population, and has long been a quiet enclave of the rich and famous. Summer residents include the Rockefeller family. The village was once so popular as a summer resort among Philadelphians, including members of the Clark banking family, that it was sometimes known as "Philadelphia on the rocks".^[1]

Its ZIP code is 04662. Its area code is 207, exchange 276.

History

The original settlers, the Someses and Richardsons, arrived circa 1761.

The easterly entrance to the village is home to the Asticou Inn, the Asticou Azalea Garden, and Thuya Garden. The Inn was built by Augustus Chase ("A.C.") Savage (1832–1911), grandson of Glaswegian John C. Savage (1756–1816),^[2] who moved to the United States in 1770 and to Northeast Harbor in 1792.^[3] In December 1966, a fire destroyed Wallace's Esso Garage, the Pastime Theater, the Hillcrest Market, and Mrs. Flye’s Sandwich Shop.^[4] In 2008, a fire destroyed three buildings on Main Street — Colonel's Deli and its upstairs apartments, and two art galleries. Five months later, in 2009, a second blaze destroyed the Tan Turtle restaurant and its upstairs apartments. As of 2022, some buildings had yet to be rebuilt. The vacancies, along with a dwindling year-round population, led to the founding of the nonprofit community development organization MD365, which creates affordable housing and other incentives to attract new businesses and residents.^[5]

Amenities

The Marina is home to upwards of two hundred yachts during the summertime, and has views looking out over the cove.

Main Street is home to a variety of shops and restaurants.

Notable people

• Brooke Astor
• Zbigniew Brzezinski;^[6] served as National Security Advisor during the Carter administration
• Parker Fennelly
• Grace Frick
• Barbara Bel Geddes; stage and film actress
• Gunnar Hansen
• Leonard Leo
• Garry Moore
• Marguerite Yourcenar

See also

• Northeast Harbor Library Digital Archive: finding aids and scanned photographs
• Exhibit: Northeast Harbor: From Rustic to Rusticators, hosted by Maine Memory Project
• Finding aid: MF 043 Northeast Harbor Library Oral History Collection, University of Maine

References

1. David R. Contosta, Suburb in the city: Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, 1850–1990, Ohio State University Press, Columbus, Ohio; 1992. p. 156.
2. "Early Settlement". mdi.mainememory.net. Mount Desert Island: Shaped by Nature. Maine Historical Society. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
3. "Interview: Rick Savage, Asticou – The Coast Walk Project". jenniferbooher.com. October 27, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
4. Savage, Rick (2017). "Growing up in Asticou: The Late 1940s to Mid-1960s" (PDF). Chebacco: The Magazine of the Mount Desert Island Historical Society. 18: 73–87.
5. Wright, Virginia M. (June 27, 2022). "Can Northeast Harbor Stay Livable Year-round". Down East: The Magazine of Maine (June 2022).
6. Lewis, Daniel (May 26, 2017). "Zbigniew Brzezinski, National Security Adviser to Jimmy Carter, Dies at 89". The New York Times.

44°17′39″N 68°17′23″W