1880 Warren Map of Mount Desert Island for Boston and Maine Railroad

A very scarce chromolithograph map, here dissected and laid on linen, covering Mount Desert Island, Blue Hill, Deer Isle, and vicinity, issued around 1880 for the Boston and Maine Railroad. Geared toward the 'Rusticator' crowd, this map illustrates ferry connections between Mount Desert Island and Rockland, Portland, Lewiston, Milbridge, and more. Although long predating the founding of Acadia National Park, this map offers a unique glimpse into the 'Rusticator' lifestyle - referring to seasonal Mount Desert enthusiasts, both men and women, who gathered on the island in summer months to enjoy the rigorous hiking, climbing, and scenic views. The Boston and Maine Railroad is promoted on the lower left, along with an engraved view of Great Head, a rocky promontory south of Bar Harbor.

Boston and Maine Railroad

Commonly known as the 'B and M', the Boston and Maine Railroad was chartered in New Hampshire on June 27, 1835. The firm consolidated several smaller companies, including the Andover and Haverhill Railroad and later the Boston and Portland Railroad. It merged with the Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts Railroad in 1842, but retained the Boston and Maine operating name. In the subsequent decades it acquired or leased several other railroads, including the Boston and Lowell (1887), Northern (1884), Connecticut River (1893), Concord and Montreal (1887), and Fitchburg (1900). In 1910 it was acquired by J. P. Morgan and his New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The firm initially prospered on the development of mill towns throughout New England and later capitalized on tourism from urban centers Boston and New York. Nonetheless, the railroad went through a decline during the Great Depression, when most of the old textile mills closed. Part of the Boston and Maine network remains in operation today under the Pan Am Railways (PAS) brand.

Acadia National Park

Mount Desert Island, so named because of its many bald rocky mountaintops, has been a tourist destination since the mid-19th century, whit it was discovered by outsiders, artists, journalists, Hudson River School artis, and other patrons, known collectively as the 'Rusticators.' Undaunted by crude accommodations and simple food, they sought out local fishermen and farmers accommodation and guidance. Summer after summer, the rusticators returned to renew friendships with local islanders and, most of all, to savor the fresh salt air, scenery, and relaxed pace. Soon the villagers' cottages and fishermen's huts filled to overflowing, and by 1880, 30 hotels competed for vacationers' dollars. Tourism was becoming the islands primary industry. Drawing the attention of the wealthy and influential, the island was designated as Sieur de Monts National Monument by President Woodrow Wilson in July 1916. In February 1919, the area's status was officially changed from a National Monument to National Park, making it the first National Park east of the Mississippi River. With the change to a National Park came a name change as well, with the region now being known as Lafayette National Park. It would not be until January 1929 that the park would be given its current name, Acadia National Park. Acadia is unlike most other National Parks as its creation was encouraged by numerous private individuals. One of these was John. D. Rockefeller, Jr. Rockefeller purchased a summer home in Bass Harbor in 1910 and began buying land in the park with the goal of creating a system of carriage roads as means of making more accessible to visitors what Rockefeller thought was 'one of the greatest views in the world.'

Chromolithography

Chromolithography is a color lithographic technique developed in the mid-19th century. The process involved using multiple lithographic stones, one for each color, to yield a rich composite effect. Oftentimes, the process would start with a black basecoat upon which subsequent colors were layered. Some chromolithographs used 30 or more separate lithographic stones to achieve the desired effect. Chromolithograph color could also be effectively blended for even more dramatic results. The process became extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when it emerged as the dominate method of color printing. The vivid color chromolithography produced made it exceptionally effective for advertising and propaganda imagery.

Publication History and Census

This map was engraved by Henry Chandler and published by James D. Warren for the Boston and Maine Railroad around 1880. There are two variants, one with border printing, and, the present example, without. We have identified only one other example of this map, with more than 50% of its content missing, in the collections of the New York Public Library.