{"id":11626,"date":"2016-06-16T18:18:16","date_gmt":"2016-06-16T22:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=11626"},"modified":"2018-09-05T10:45:34","modified_gmt":"2018-09-05T14:45:34","slug":"playground-of-the-rich-famous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/playground-of-the-rich-famous\/","title":{"rendered":"Playground of the Rich & Famous"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summerguide 2016 | view this story as a .pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

The true historical scope of Acadia, sweeping north from Bath to the border of Canada, has hosted some of the world\u2019s most famous names within its borders.<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

From Staff & Wire Reports<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"SG16-Playground-of-the-Rich-+-Famous\"It was Acadia\u2019s rugged shores and startling natural beauty that first drew artists from the Hudson River School of painting to Maine during the 19th century. Their romantic renderings of Acadia\u2019s wild beauty, and the popularity of the \u201cluminism\u201d painting movement that they championed, began to attract the wealthy families of industrialists and traders, keen to claim their corner of this pristine summer retreat.<\/span><\/p>\n

These well-heeled summer visitors flocked from Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City to the shores of Acadia, where they began competing with one another to build the most palatial estates and enviable gardens, sealing Acadia\u2019s reputation as a getaway for the upper echelons of society. The seasonal influx was so dramatic, the visitors even garnered their own label: \u201crusticators.\u201d Of this illustrious crowd, several names jump out: the Roosevelts, the Astors, and the DuPonts. The crown of America\u2019s mercantile aristocracy have all summered in the area over the years, gilding Acadia with the luster of their wealth and mystery. Perennial summer visitor Norman Mailer was an acute observer of both the people and the geography that defined this area.<\/span><\/p>\n

Norman Mailer on Otter Cliffs<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI had heard the growl of black waters on black rock at Otter Cliffs,\u201d Mailer writes in Harlot\u2019s Ghost,<\/i> in a vignette he later reprised for Esquire<\/i>. Challenged climb to the sheer, slippery monument as a rite of passage, the young Mailer risked a look down during his ascent and was scared out of his wits by \u201cthe wet, black stone as oily as a garage floor.\u201d The nooks and crannies and tussocks of grass on the cliff\u2019s oily face reminded him of \u201chuman body parts.\u201d Later in life, Mailer would inflict his own Maine initiation on his children. In an interview with Portland Magazine<\/i>, Mailer\u2019s youngest son, John Buffalo Mailer, recalled summers spent preparing to climb Mount Katahdin. \u201cIt started to hail as we were on the middle of the Knife Edge. I don\u2019t think I had ever been quite as scared in the eight years I had been alive, than I was in that moment.\u201d [See \u201cWhen Your Name Is Mailer, You Don\u2019t Phone It In,\u201d by Colin W. Sargent: bit.ly\/PMNormanMailer]<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMount Desert is more luminous than the rest of Maine,\u201d Norman declares in Harlot\u2019s Ghost<\/i>. The two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, who\u2019d spent many summers here with his family, certainly knew how to pick the perfect summer spot. During the 1970s, the family rented \u201cFortune\u2019s Rock,\u201d a stunning 1937 residence cantilevered over Somes Sound. Designed as a summer abode for New York artists and heiress Clare Fargo Thomas, the sleek lines of the building are in harmony with its breathtaking surroundings. Mailer and his kids were particularly fond of leaping from the timbered balcony of Fortune\u2019s Rock twenty feet into the icy water of the sound below. For Mailer, Acadia represented a sanctuary of calm from the storm of the New York literati scene.<\/span><\/p>\n

Astors in Acadia<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Astor clan, hailing originally from Germany before finding their fortune in the fur trade, owned mansions, hotels, and cottages in Bar Harbor and around Mount Desert. A fixture of the \u201crusticator\u201d scene, their wealth and glamor enhanced Acadia\u2019s reputation as a summer destination.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scandal rocked the family recently, when it was revealed that Anthony Marshall of the Astor clan had taken advantage of his aging mother\u2019s slipping mind to plunder her fortune. Brooke Astor, a prominent socialite and philanthropist, kept a much-beloved estate called Cove End, which overlooks the Northeast Harbor Yacht Club. In her will, Astor gave away hundreds of thousands of dollars to Maine charities, including the Maine Community Foundation. Marshall passed away in 2014, aged 90. He only served two months of his three-year prison term due to ailing health. <\/span><\/p>\n

The New Newport<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

While we may always associate the Vanderbilt name with the flashy appeal of Newport, Rhode Island, many of the family preferred the relative simplicity and peace of Bar Harbor. Patriarch William Henry Vanderbilt first removed to Maine in the early 1880s. George Vanderbilt, William\u2019s youngest and supposedly favorite son, was evidently smitten with us. Upon his father\u2019s death, George bought the former Gouverneur Morris Ogden Cottage in Bar Harbor, renaming the estate Pointe d\u2019Acadie. In 1895, older brother William Kissam Vanderbilt, seeking refuge from the media storm surrounding his divorce, sailed up to Bar Harbor on his yacht Valiant<\/i>, at the time the largest vessel in the world. William spent much of that summer moored off Pointe d\u2019Acadie, avoiding the press. According to the New York Social Diary, \u201cUnlike at Newport, few traces remain of the Vanderbilts at Bar Harbor. Many of the houses they occupied: Mossley Hall, Pointe d\u2019Acadie, Islecote, have been demolished.\u201d Despite their physical absence, traces of the Vanderbilts can be found in the old guest books of the famous inns and restaurants of Acadia. <\/span><\/p>\n

Camelot northeast<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Before she was Mrs. John F. Kennedy, before her paparazzi-flashed years as \u201cJackie O,\u201d or her hidden decades on Park Avenue as an editor at Viking Press, young Jacqueline Bouvier spent her summers not simply as a debutante in Newport, Rhode Island, but also up here in Bar Harbor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Auchinclosses had an estate up here,\u201d says Denise Morgan, co-owner of Oli\u2019s Trolley of Bar Harbor, \u201cand no doubt visited here every summer with Jackie and her sister, Lee Radziwill. The estate is gone now\u2013the fire of 1947 took it\u2013but I believe part of the wall is still there,\u201d right at the corner of Routes 3 and 233, also known as Eagle Lake Road. Trolley drivers mention it as they pass by, talking about the rich and famous of Bar Harbor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018So Jackie Bouvier walked the streets of Bar Harbor,\u2019 one of our tourists remarked once while taking the tour.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

We can\u2019t vouch for the streetwalking, but the presence of the nation\u2019s top debutante must have made the lovely Bar Harbor summers here just a bit lovelier.<\/span><\/p>\n

But wait a minute. Deborah Dwyer of the Bar Harbor Historical Society says instead that \u201cHugh D. Auchincloss stayed at \u2018Redwood.\u2019 It\u2019s an important early William Ralph Emerson Shingle Style design. It\u2019s very much still standing, and that\u2019s where Jackie would have stayed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As for the lost house mentioned by the trolley company, Dwyer has told us, \u201cI have a \u2018before\u2019 and \u2018after\u2019 picture of the house that stood there on a slide presentation I do to show the property before and after the school was built. Part of the wall survived, but the wrought-iron gate disappeared. The last people who had it were the Sultan ruler of Turkey and Princess Bernadina.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Only in Bar Harbor would a sultan owning a house in Bar Harbor be floated as a more plausible anecdote. <\/span><\/p>\n

Rockefeller Center<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

John D. Rockefeller, a high-school-dropout, dreamed of racking up $100,000 and living to a hundred. Though he fell two years shy of achieving a centennial, Rockefeller far outstripped his financial goal. To this day he remains the wealthiest individual in U.S. history. However, it was John\u2019s youngest son\u2013the anxious and subdued John \u201cJunior\u201d Rockefeller\u2013whose fate is inexorably entwined with Maine history. His passion for the state\u2019s wild landscape inspired the creation of Acadia National Park as we know it today. <\/span><\/p>\n

John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his wife, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, paid their first visit to Acadia in the early 20th century, shortly after their marriage in 1901. At this point, Bar Harbor was already swarming with the glamorous rusticator crowd. For the reserved and frugal Rockefeller Jr., the Bar Harbor scene held little appeal. Instead, the couple instead gravitated to the relative peace of Seal Harbor, on the southeastern shore of the island. This sheltered cove would become the family\u2019s annual summer getaway. Their son and future Vice President, Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, was even born in the holiday cottage they rented in the bay during the summer of 1908. John Jr. began construction on what would become the family vacation home for over 50 years, a sprawling 100-room mansion named \u201cThe Eyrie.\u201d To put an exclamation point on the exclusivity, John Jr. commissioned a wall around the perimeter of the house, inset with pieces of tile brought back from the Great Wall of China. <\/span><\/p>\n

In 1962, the stately pile, anachronistic its surroundings, was deemed unsuitable for continued use and demolished by the family. Parts of the wall and Abby\u2019s gardens still remain, while the rest of the family scattered around Acadia, inhabiting individual properties or private islands.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Washington Post <\/i>ran a feature story on the Rockefellers\u2019 presence in Acadia in 1979, recounting how John Junior\u2019s five sons displayed their inherent business acumen by setting up a flower stall outside the country club. It was rumored that the boys even hitchhiked from the club to the The Eyrie. On one such occasion, the driver expressed surprise at a young Rockefeller without his own car. \u201cWho do you think we are, Vanderbilts?\u201d was the retort.<\/span><\/p>\n

During his summers, John Junior, a keen horseman, spent much of his time overseeing the creation of a network of carriage roads around the family estate. The patriarch showed an aptitude for designing and landscaping, creating miles of flowing carriageway between 1915 to 1933 that give unparalleled access to forest and coastline. Today the carriageways remain, part of John Jr.\u2019s Acadian legacy. There are 45 miles of meandering public paths uninterrupted by autoroutes, their 17 arched granite bridges grinning with coping stones often referred to as \u201cRockefeller\u2019s teeth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Martha Stewart, Lifestyle Guru<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Seal Harbor houses another business mogul on its exclusive shore; albeit a much more modern one. Martha Stewart, doyenne of domesticity and media juggernaut, owns an expansive vacation home atop Ox Hill, overlooking the bay below. The former residence of one of Acadia\u2019s blue-blooded patriarchs, Edsel Ford, \u201cSkylands\u201d sits on 63 acres of prime Acadian coastline and forest. Stewart reportedly bought the property in 1997 after attending a cocktail party hosted by its then owner, Edward Leede. It was clearly love at first sight. As soon as Stewart heard the property was going up for sale, she stepped up with a check.<\/span><\/p>\n

The residence is a true Acadian masterwork, 35,000 square feet of Italian revival architecture, a style that was popular among the rusticators putting down foundations in the area during the 1920s. Stewart has done little to change the exterior of the home that the Fords once inhabited, back when they rubbed shoulders with Rockefellers, Astors, and Vanderbilts in Bar Harbor. She claims the house even came with Ellen Ford\u2019s collection of Danish and French china. Obviously, the interior has since been given the Martha Stewart golden touch. No surprise that Skylands is featured frequently as the focus for decor and gardening articles in Martha Stewart Living <\/i>magazine. <\/span><\/p>\n

Outside, the landscape is rugged and rocky, awash with white pines, Danish firs, and moss-covered boulders. According to local sources, the caretakers of Skylands collect the area\u2019s iconic pink granite to crush down and re-cover Ms. Stewart\u2019s sweeping driveway every spring. <\/span><\/p>\n

Stewart has described Maine as her ideal destination for an active vacation and an escape from running her media empire. While she\u2019s here, Martha can be seen enjoying the same Maine delights as the rest of us: eating lobster rolls in Trenton, hiking the Beehive trails, and kayaking around the bay. A glance at her eponymous blog reveals a multitude of articles celebrating the Maine lifestyle and untouched beauty. No surprise, then, that Martha\u2019s describes this little parcel of Maine as her \u201cfavorite place.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Margaret Wise Brown, Children’s Book Legend<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWinter came and the snow fell softly, like a great quiet secret in the night, cold and still.\u201d Margaret Wise Brown\u2019s description of a snowy scene in The Little House<\/i> was no doubt inspired by Maine winters spent in her home on Vinalhaven. Brown wrote many of her beloved children\u2019s books, which include The Runaway Bunny<\/i> and Goodnight Moon,<\/i> while staying at the former quarry master\u2019s home on the island. Named \u201cThe Only House,\u201d the Vinalhaven sanctuary became the place where Brown daydreamed, wrote, entertained friends, and lived the island life, as dictated by the season and the sea. \u201cI\u2019ll meet you at the black buoy,\u201d she\u2019d tell friends who made the trek to Rockland to visit her. <\/span><\/p>\n

Despite her books, Brown never had children of her own. In 1952, at just 42, while recovering after surgery, she kicked her foot over her head can-can style to prove how well she was feeling. Heartbeats later, she was dead of an embolism. Her ashes were scattered not far from her tree overlooking the water at the edge Vinalhaven. The rough stone marking the spot is inscribed, \u201cMargaret Wise Brown, writer of Songs and Nonsense.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Tess Gerritsen, Novelist<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In a post from her blog, author Tess Gerritson writes: \u201cI\u2019ve been a resident of Maine for 17 years, and although I\u2019ll never be considered a real \u2018Mainer,\u2019 I do feel like one.\u201d While the San Diego-born Gerritsen may never attain the status of a dyed-in-the-wool Mainer, she\u2019s a jewel nontheless in the state\u2019s literary crown. <\/span><\/p>\n

Raised by Chinese immigrant parents in California, Gerritsen grew up writing and creating characters. Since storytelling was never considered a viable career in her family, Gerritsen instead pursued medicine in California and Honolulu, along with her husband, Jeff.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen I burned out on being on an island and practicing medicine, and we moved to Maine,\u201d she told Portland Magazine<\/i> in 1996. But why Maine? According to Gerritsen, the decision was spontaneous, and perhaps serendipitous. \u201cIt is all based on an article written by Bill Levanworth in Cruising World,<\/i> she says. \u201cHe wrote an article about Camden; and my husband, who is an avid sailor, happened to pick up that magazine, read about Camden and said, \u2018Oh, we\u2019re going on vacation on the East Coast. Let\u2019s drive up the coast of Maine and see what it\u2019s like.\u2019\u201d One glance at Camden\u2019s scenic harbor and the Gerritsens knew that they\u2019d found their new home.<\/span><\/p>\n

The relocation turned out to be beneficial for Gerritsen\u2019s growing writing career.\u00a0 <\/span>With two published romance novels under her belt, Gerritsen went on to quit medicine and focus on writing full-time. It was in Camden that she formulated the ideas for her vastly successful Rizzoli & Isles <\/i>novel\u00a0 <\/span>series in\u00a0 <\/span>2001.<\/i> She has since penned 17 works of fiction and amassed a net worth of over $4 million. The final season of the TV series based on her work, Rizzoli & Isles<\/i>, will hit screens worldwide this summer.<\/span><\/p>\n

See Tess Gerritsen speak about her latest thriller novel \u201cPlaying with Fire\u201d at Skidompha Library in Daramiscotta, August 10<\/em>.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Stephen King, Writer<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

One of Maine\u2019s most famous literary exports is a benevolent spirit in a comically gothic-style mansion in Bangor. Stephen King, master of horror and one of the most successful writers of his generation, was born just down the road at Maine Medical Center in Portland. This isn\u2019t news to Mainers, who have spent the past couple of decades hearing the same old tag, even when traveling in Europe: \u201cOh, Maine, that\u2019s where Stephen King\u2019s from, right?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Today the King family divides its summers between Palmer Lake in Lovell and their mansion in Bangor. Lovell holds bittersweet connotations for King, who in 1999 was hit by a van while taking one of his long walks around the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

It has been suggested that Lisbon High School inspired the setting for alumnus King\u2019s first published novel, Carrie<\/i>. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely set in Lisbon High School,\u201d asserts Margaret Frankenberger, who works in the school office and graduated a year ahead of King. \u201cStephen mentions kids we grew up with by name.\u201d Indeed, the school\u2019s stark gymnasium, huddled close to Route 196, bears a strong resemblance to the fateful site of Carrie\u2019s high school prom. <\/span><\/p>\n

A number of King\u2019s other novels are also set in Maine, including Bag of Bones<\/i>, Pet Sematary,<\/i> and Cujo<\/i>, in which the rugged landscape and historic brick towns serving as dramatic backdrops to the narrative. The fictional town of Derry, the location of King\u2019s terrifying novel IT<\/i>, is often cited as a recognizable imitation of Bangor. Let\u2019s just hope we don\u2019t find Pennywise The Clown skipping through The Queen City.<\/p>\n

Although the famously reticent King rarely gives interviews, he keeps his army of fans sated with regular tweets about his latest projects. Imminent releases include his latest novel, End of Watch<\/i>, the finale to the New York Times<\/i> bestselling trilogy that began with Mr. Mercedes<\/i> and Finders Keepers. <\/i>On the silver screen, the first film of King\u2019s hugely popular fantasy series The Dark Tower<\/i> is due for release in 2017. The sci-fi epic will star Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey. King fans, stay tuned. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

J.J. Abrams, Director<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Unless you\u2019ve been living in a galaxy far, far away, you can\u2019t have failed to notice the resurrection of the biggest movie franchise in history this year. After Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens<\/i> broke the year\u2019s box-office record, its director is probably in need of some vacation time. Camden residents, keep your eyes peeled. J.J. Abrams and his wife, Brewer native Kate McGrath, own a summer retreat in 60 acres of prime lakefront real estate just outside of town. This isn\u2019t just a place for Abrams to dutifully visit the in-laws, either. Speaking to the New York Times<\/i> in 2006, Abrams revealed he\u2019d been coveting his own place Downeast for some time. \u201cFor the past few years we\u2019ve rented a house in Camden, Maine. I\u2019d love to buy one.\u201d When he finally purchased his dream vacation home, the director\/writer\/producer\u2019s delight was apparent. Real Maine Real Estate in Yarmouth\u00a0 <\/span>received the following enthusiastic note, according to realmaine.net: \u201cHoly Shnikies! You\u2019re a Genius! Amazing Work With The Price. THANK YOU! Huge Thank You. I Know You Worked Hard (And Brilliantly) To Make This Happen. Katie And I Really Appreciate It.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Born in 1966, Jeffrey Jacob Abrams\u2019s feverish rise to Hollywood power includes his Emmy-winning production of Alias <\/i>(featuring Jennifer Garner and Maine native Rachel Nichols) as well as Lost<\/i>. Movies include Mission Impossible 3, Star Trek, Star Trek into Darkness, Star Trek Ghost Protocol<\/i>, and on and on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Abrams has also visited Maine for business as well as pleasure. In 2006, Stephen King invited him here for a \u201cpanel discussion on creativity,\u201d according to the Bangor Daily News<\/i>. The pair obviously hit it off: Abrams now produces the Hulu series 11.22.63, based on King\u2019s novel of the same name. <\/span><\/p>\n

Given the rumors that Abrams has passed the Star Wars<\/i> torch on to Rian Johnson, perhaps the film wunderkind will have more time to enjoy the views from his Maine mansion this summer? <\/span><\/p>\n

ACTORS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Susan Sarandon<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1946) The queen of the silver screen grew up spending summers on Mount Desert Island with her large family (she\u2019s one of nine siblings). Years later, Sarandon bought the same property once rented by her family. Most recently, she hit headlines when she stumped for Bernie Sanders\u2019 presidential campaign at colleges around Maine. <\/span><\/p>\n

John Travolta & Kelly Preston<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1954) & (b.1962) The Hollywood power couple has been visiting Isleboro since the 1990s, when Islesboro resident and pal Kirstie Alley first extolled its virtues to Travolta. Their elegant 6-bedroom Tudor-revival mansion overlooks the shore. Despite keeping a low profile around the island, the pair has unintentionally made local news on occasion. In a tragic accident at Bangor airport, Travolta was left distraught after his two small dogs were run over by an airport vehicle. That was not Travolta\u2019s only aviation trouble in Maine. A skilled pilot certified to fly multiple aircraft types (he owns a Boeing 707 and was the first non-test pilot to fly the Airbus A380), Travolta has also been chastised by neighbors for swooping his private jet too close to the island\u2019s peaceful shore. <\/span><\/p>\n

Robert Montgomery<\/strong><\/p>\n

(1904-1981) and daughter Elizabeth Montgomery (1933-1995). Old Hollywood had its stake in Acadia as well. Leading man Robert Montgomery owned a house at Indian Point on North Haven. His daughter, Elizabeth Montgomery, star of the hit 1950s show Bewitched, also spent her summers here. A great movie pairing: Maine\u2019s John Ford directs Vacationland summer resident Robert Montgomery in They Were Expendable, about the PT boats of World War II. Log line: \u201cLittle boats, big job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caitlin FitzGerald<\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1983) The actress and star of Showtime\u2019s Masters of Sex<\/i> grew up in Camden. She comes from a pedigree of success; her grandfather was the Deputy Director of the CIA under the Kennedy Administration and her aunt a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. In 2012, Caitlin wrote and starred in her own\u00a0 <\/span>film, Like The Water,<\/i> set in Camden. [See our cover story, Septermber 2014]<\/span><\/p>\n

David Morse<\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1953) Famous for his roles in The Green Mile, Disturbia, and St. Elsewhere, Morse has summered in Bar Harbor since visiting a friend here in 1994. In an interview with Portland Magazine, he described his perfect Maine afternoon. \u201cWe ride our bikes to Jordan Pond House and we have our lobster salad and popovers and do the whole Park Loop Road once.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oliver Platt<\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1960) Known for his roles in everything from X-Men: First Class to The West Wing, Oliver Platt has summered on North Haven for years.<\/p>\n

ARTISTS & WRITERS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

George Bellows <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(1882-1925) The realist painter was originally known for his depictions of urban life in New York, but in 1912, Bellows began visiting Maine, creating his famous seascapes of Monhegan and Matinicus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Elizabeth Bishop <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(1911-1979) The Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner summered in North Haven for many years. On an early visit Bishop observed: \u201cMaine Islands\u2014small ones\u2014no beach\u2014upright\u2014crowded with firs\u2014no place\u2014no foot-hold\u2014for anything.\u2019\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Ashley Bryan<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1923) The multiple Coretta Scott King Award winner and children\u2019s book author lives in Islesford. He uses found items from Maine beaches to create some of his artwork, including sea-glass windows and puppets made out of driftwood. <\/span><\/p>\n

Michael Chabon & Ayelet Waldman<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1963) & (b.1964)\u00a0<\/span>The literary couple summers in Brooklin. Chabon\u2019s novel \u201cThe Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay\u201d won the Pulitzer for fiction in 2001.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mary Ellen Chase <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(1887-1973) The best-selling writer of Mary Peters was born in Blue Hill and was a graduate of the University of Maine. In a 1936 interview in the Portland Sunday Telegram, Chase declared that she wrote \u201clargely because I want to acquaint others…with the splendid character of Maine people, and with the unsurpassed loveliness of Maine fields, shores, and sea.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Howie Day<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

(b.1981) The pop singer was born in Bangor and raised in Brewer. His parents own and run Nicky\u2019s Cruisin\u2019 Diner in Bangor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kara DioGuardi <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1970) The singer-songwriter and Maine native told Portland Monthly in 2013, \u201cComing to Prospect Harbor takes me back to my time when I felt the most loved, and most connected with my surroundings.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jon Fishman <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1965) Drummer for the legendary jam-band Phish, Fishman originally hails from Lincolnville.<\/p>\n

Dan Fogelberg <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(1951-2007) The American musician died at his beloved home on Deer Isle in 2007. His wife told Portland Magazine how Fogelberg fell for Maine: \u201c[Dan] saw the old sea captain\u2019s house on Deer Isle. It had grass coming through the floorboards, and he instantly fell in love with it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Terry Goodkind <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1948) The fantasy writer, best known for The Sword of Truth TV series, owns a home on Mt. Desert Island. According to BangorDaily News, Goodkind said of arriving in Maine for the first time, \u201cI felt like I\u2019d been misplaced in the cosmos and I belonged in Maine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Patty Griffin <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1964) The \u201cRain\u201d singer-songwriter was born in Old Town.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marsden Hartley<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(1877-1943) The American modernist painter and poet was born in Lewiston. <\/span><\/p>\n

Eric Hopkins <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1951) North Haven Island has certainly influenced the soaring coastal landscapes by this well-loved contemporary artist.<\/span><\/p>\n

David McCullough <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1933) The Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner keeps a summer residence in Camden.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don McLean <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1945) The \u201cAmerican Pie\u201d singer\/songwriter lives in Camden with his family.<\/span><\/p>\n

Toshiko Mori <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1951) and James Carpenter (1948) The star architects built a beautiful house on North Haven Island. <\/span><\/p>\n

Richard Russo <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1949) The novelist and screenwriter, who won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction for Empire Falls, lives in Camden Maine. This summer he\u2019s following up Nobody\u2019s Fool with Everybody\u2019s Fool.<\/span><\/p>\n

Noel Paul Stookey <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1937) This member of the Peter, Paul & Mary folk trio resides in Blue Hill.<\/span><\/p>\n

N.C. Wyeth<\/strong> (1882-1945), Andrew Wyeth<\/strong> (1917-2009),\u00a0 <\/span>and Jamie Wyeth<\/strong> (b.1946)<\/span><\/p>\n

The Wyeth dynasty encompasses generations of notable painters and illustrators. Andrew Wyeth, son of iconic illustrator Newell Convers Wyeth, is generally recognized as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. Andrew\u2019s son, Jamie, charts\u00a0 <\/span>his own extraordinary course. Over the years, Maine has featured heavily in the Wyeths\u2019 work, and the Wyeth Center at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland is dedicated to the family\u2019s art.<\/span><\/p>\n

Susan Minot<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1956) The acclaimed novelist has penned a collection of novels (Monkeys, Thirty Girls<\/i>), short stories and essays (Lust & Other Stories<\/i>), and has even turned her hand at screenwriting. She wrote the 1995 movie Stealing Beauty, <\/i>starring another Maine\u00a0 <\/span>girl, Liv Tyler, as a young American visiting relatives in Tuscany. Minot\u2019s work has enraptured critics and won her the Prix Femina \u00c9tranger in 1987. Minot splits her year between New York City and her home in North Haven. Speaking to Elle<\/i> magazine, Minot describes her summer retreat as a place where \u201cwork is done with a hammer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Robert McCloskey<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(1914-2003) The Deer Isle resident wrote and illustrated some of Maine\u2019s most beloved children\u2019s fiction, including Blueberries for Sal<\/i> and One Morning in Maine. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

MOGULS\/ EMINENT FAMILIES<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Robert M. Bass <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1948) The billionaire businessman and owner of Aerion Corporation owns a palatial estate in Seal Harbor on Mount Desert Island. <\/span><\/p>\n

Leon Leonwood Bean <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(1872-1967) Practically synonymous with Maine, the creator of the eponymous clothing and outdoors brand hails from Greenwood. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Cabots<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the \u201cfirst families of Boston,\u201d these Boston Brahmins made their fortune in trading, medicine, and architecture, dipping their fingers also into politics and philanthropy. Numerous members of the Cabot family have lived on North Haven Island during the summer months. <\/span><\/p>\n

Henry Ford <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(1863-1947) The \u201cSkylands\u201d estate on built on Mt. Desert Island by the father of the Model T for his son Edsel Ford, is now owned by lifestyle magnate Martha Stewart.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edward C. \u201cNed\u201d Johnson III <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1930) & daughter Abigail Johnson (b.1961) The title of wealthiest seasonal resident of Mount Desert Island is currently held by Edward C. \u201cNed\u201d Johnson III, head of Fidelity Investments. Johnson, estimated to be worth $8 billion, owns a luxury estate in Bar Harbor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Roxanne Quimby <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1950) The co-founder of Burt\u2019s Bees lives in Winter Harbor and is currently attempting to donate thousands of acres to the National Park Service in order to expand Acadia\u2019s protected land.<\/span><\/p>\n

John Sculley <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1939) The Apple CEO keeps a vacation home near Camden Harbor. <\/span><\/p>\n

William P. Stewart Jr <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The president of MetLife insurance was accused of embezzling over $60 million of his son\u2019s inheritance to squander on chartered jets to his property on Mount Desert Island and the $20 million cruising vessel Scheherazade, which he moored in Northeast Harbor, according to the New York Post. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Lindberghs <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Are the Lindberghs moguls, aviators, or writers? Yes to all three. Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh spent summer idylls on North Haven Island for decades. Read the full story on the Linbergh estate here: <\/span>
\n<\/span>bit.ly\/PMLindbergh<\/span><\/p>\n

The Pulitzers <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Shortly before the inception of the Pulitzer Prize, Joseph Pulitzer was one of the first to build a summer home on Mount Desert Island. The family visited the estate in Bar Harbor for many years.<\/span><\/p>\n

POLITICIANS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Zbigniew Brzezinski <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(b.1928) The political scientist served as a counselor to President Lyndon B. Johnson\u00a0 <\/span>1966\u20131968 and was President Jimmy Carter\u2019s National Security Advisor from 1977\u20131981. In his down time he relaxes at his home in Northeast Harbor.<\/p>\n

William Howard Taft <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(1857-1930) The 27th President (1909\u20131913) was known to enjoy golfing<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summerguide 2016
\nThe true historical scope of Acadia, sweeping north from Bath to the border of Canada, has hosted some of the world\u2019s most famous names within its borders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11630,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[106],"class_list":["post-11626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-summerguide-2016"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11626"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11626\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15278,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11626\/revisions\/15278"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}