The Western Section
Mary Dreier, Frances Kellor, LaRue Spiker, Louise Gilbert,
Edith Hamilton, Doris Fielding Reid, Ruth Moore, and Eleanor Mayo
*Parts of the Western Segment will require the purchase of an Acadia National Park pass.
View a video tour of this segment!
The Beginning: This final section of the Lesbian History Trail begins on a spit of land called Fernald Point in Southwest Harbor. The Fernald Point Prehistoric Site is an archaeological site in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island on the central coast of Maine. The principal feature of the site is a shell midden, whose excavation has yielded both historic artifacts and evidence of human occupation to at least 1000 BCE. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Heading south on Route 102, take a left turn onto Fernald Point Road right after the grocery store. Turn left into the parking lot for Flying Mountain Trail, and park the car. Walk back out to Fernald Point Road and turn left.
Fernald Point is the address of the historical summer home of social reformer and philanthropist Mary Dreier and her partner Frances Kellor, who is one of the most spectacular activists and reformers of the Roosevelt era, especially in the field of immigration. These two women lived together for 47 years, summering in Southwest Harbor. Frances Kellor wore men's clothing most of her life, as you can see in this photograph taken on July 22, 1933.
In June 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt traveled by car with her lesbian friends, Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman, to open up the cottage at Campobello and prepare for Franklin’s arrival. They stopped off in Southwest Harbor to stay with Frances and Mary. She was somewhat discomfited to learn that Mary had planned a large lawn party for the next day (see photos).
"The next morning Eleanor awoke to discover that ‘FDR and the whole fleet’ had anchored outside Mary Dreier’s home in Southwest Harbor. She worried that it was ‘rather overpowering for Mary Dreier, but she seemed pleased.’ Eleanor’s three sons went ashore for breakfast, and FDR invited Eleanor and her party aboard the Amberjack II for lunch. By all accounts it was a ’joyous reunion...' After FDR’s detour to Mary Dreier, he continued his cruise while Eleanor headed directly for Campobello to make beds and prepare the great welcoming picnic to celebrate FDR’s first visit in twelve years…" - Eleanor Roosevelt: Volume II, The Defining Years, 1933-1938 by Blanche Wiesen Cook, Viking, 1999.
There is a video of FDR in the Amberjack II at Fernald Point.
Also, there are reports that Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor, was visiting and staying over in the Dreier house at the time of this visit.
[The image of the Roosevelts and the images of the Dreier home below are from the Southwest Harbor Public Library Digital Archive.]
In June 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt traveled by car with her lesbian friends, Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman, to open up the cottage at Campobello and prepare for Franklin’s arrival. They stopped off in Southwest Harbor to stay with Frances and Mary. She was somewhat discomfited to learn that Mary had planned a large lawn party for the next day (see photos).
"The next morning Eleanor awoke to discover that ‘FDR and the whole fleet’ had anchored outside Mary Dreier’s home in Southwest Harbor. She worried that it was ‘rather overpowering for Mary Dreier, but she seemed pleased.’ Eleanor’s three sons went ashore for breakfast, and FDR invited Eleanor and her party aboard the Amberjack II for lunch. By all accounts it was a ’joyous reunion...' After FDR’s detour to Mary Dreier, he continued his cruise while Eleanor headed directly for Campobello to make beds and prepare the great welcoming picnic to celebrate FDR’s first visit in twelve years…" - Eleanor Roosevelt: Volume II, The Defining Years, 1933-1938 by Blanche Wiesen Cook, Viking, 1999.
There is a video of FDR in the Amberjack II at Fernald Point.
Also, there are reports that Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor, was visiting and staying over in the Dreier house at the time of this visit.
[The image of the Roosevelts and the images of the Dreier home below are from the Southwest Harbor Public Library Digital Archive.]
Mary and Frances named their home Valour House, in honor of a small group of French Jesuits who established the St. Saveur mission settlement on Fernald Point in May 1613. They were welcomed by the native Wabanaki, who had a summer encampment on the island.
With the encouragement of the Wabanaki, the newcomers planted corn and began building a fort at a site recommended by Asticou, the Wabanaki chief. However, the settlement, called St. Sauveur, was abandoned after only three months, when it was attacked by an English ship from the Jamestown colony in Virginia.There is a fresh water spring on the beach in front of Valour House which is called Jesuit Spring.
For a scenic walk down to the water (without trespassing), head back down Fernald Point Road, and turn right up Rocky Pasture Lane. You will see a path go off to the right. I believe it is marked "Jesuit Field." This is public land sandwiched between two private estates, and you can walk across a lovely meadow down to Somes Sound.
If you prefer something that involves about an hour of hiking, head back to the parking lot and take the Flying Mountain Trail. This is one of the most scenic views of Somes Sound and the islands. It descends onto the beach in Valley Cove.
Getting back on the trail, turn right out of the Flying Mountain parking lot and head back to Route 102. Turn south and in about 1/8 mile you will see a sign on the left for the Charlotte Rhoades Garden and Butterfly Park. This is one of the loveliest little "pocket gardens" on the whole island. And, yes, they are serious about the butterflies. They have a whole program of tagging and releasing monarch butterflies. Great site for a picnic!
From the Charlotte Rhoades Garden and Butterfly Park, turn left and then a quick right on Seal Cove Road. Travel west on this, and turn right on Long Pond Road. The home of LaRue Spiker is located on Long Pond Road. She built this house in the 1950's. Her life partner, Louise Gilbert, moved into a small cabin next door to her. LaRue and Louise were both activists caught up in the Communist and homosexual witchhunts of the 1950's. They were tried for sedition in Louisville, Kentucky, for guarding the infamous Wade House, when a family of color was being threatened for having purchased a home in a white neighborhood. When the house was bombed, Louise and LaRue were accused, along with five other Civil Rights activists, of being Communist plotters.
Trace your way back to Main Street and in less than a mile, you will see Harbor House Community Center on your left, in the heart of Southwest Harbor. In front of Harbor house is a bench dedicated to LaRue Spiker. The plaque reads "In memory of LaRue Spiker who did so much for our town."
The next point of interest is the Hamilton-Reid home, which is on a private road and inaccessible to the public... but you can see it from a distance from Seawall Road. Stay on Main Street and bear left to Route 102A (Seawall Road). Follow this road past Charlotte's Legendary Lobster Pound, until it opens up to the ocean. You can pull over to the side of the road and park, then walk out on the rocks to the furthest point. Looking northeast up the shore, you can see the Hamilton-Reid home.
For the last site on the Lesbian History Trail, continue west to the end of Seawall Road and turn left on Lighthouse Road. The home of authors Ruth Moore and Eleanor Mayo is located on Lighthouse Road. If you continue driving another half mile, you will arrive at the historic Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, built in 1858, where Ruth and Eleanor would have walked. There is a trail from the parking lot down to the cliffs, for spectacular views. There is a slightly overgrown older trail that branches off to the left, if you are seeking a quieter cliff walk.
The Lesbian History Trail ends at the Tremont Historical Society and Country Store Museum at 4 Granville Road in Bass Harbor, which is open July 4 to Indigenous Peoples Day on October 11. From their website: "A store has existed on this site since 1879 when the first general store was opened here by Perry Warrington (P.W.) Richardson. The present store was built in 1908. The room on the south side was added later and used as a grain shed. In the 1920s the Tremont Savings Bank was operated in the small room on the north side of the building. The floor and walls in the main room are original. The shelving was added later. In other rooms, where repairs required replacement of original material, original materials were duplicated as closely as possible. The country store was renovated in 1965 and, more recently, in 2002. The main floor has been kept basically unchanged and is the main display area. The side entrance, ADA compliant access and bathroom were added in 2002." Check out the list of Maine books that are on sale at the Society, including books by Ruth Moore.
The Lesbian History Trail ends at the Tremont Historical Society and Country Store Museum at 4 Granville Road in Bass Harbor, which is open July 4 to Indigenous Peoples Day on October 11. From their website: "A store has existed on this site since 1879 when the first general store was opened here by Perry Warrington (P.W.) Richardson. The present store was built in 1908. The room on the south side was added later and used as a grain shed. In the 1920s the Tremont Savings Bank was operated in the small room on the north side of the building. The floor and walls in the main room are original. The shelving was added later. In other rooms, where repairs required replacement of original material, original materials were duplicated as closely as possible. The country store was renovated in 1965 and, more recently, in 2002. The main floor has been kept basically unchanged and is the main display area. The side entrance, ADA compliant access and bathroom were added in 2002." Check out the list of Maine books that are on sale at the Society, including books by Ruth Moore.
And this is the end of the Lesbian History Trail! We hope you enjoyed it.