Fire Had Profound Impact On Bar Harbor And Acadia

In Bar Harbor, the fires of 1947 burned an estimated 55 percent of the town’s acreage and destroyed more than 200 houses, including many summer “cottages” owned by some of the nation’s wealthiest families. Yet in many ways, the destruction helped steer Bar Harbor toward the tourist destination that it is today, and it continues to affect the views of visitors to Acadia National Park. “The year-round residents rebuilt, but few of the summer residents rebuilt their summer cottages or even came back,” Joyce Butler wrote in her book, “Wildfire Loose,” chronicling the 1947 fires and their aftermath.