Bar Harbor Inn

Fall in Bar Harbor

Joanne Parkinson — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:39:15 -0400

Take a ride to Bar Harbor and see the pretty sites. Newport Drive - almost to the Bar Harbor Inn!

Getting closer - the Gazebo, dressed up for Fall.

Here you are! Time to relax and have a great vacation!

October Employee of the Month at the Bar Harbor Inn

Joanne Parkinson — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:33:44 -0400

Each month during our season we vote on and pick an employee that has shown exceptional workmanship, is a team player and offers to the guests an added value.

For the month of October, Chris, our Groundskeeper has won the honor. Chris, Congratulations! You have have done a fabulous job this year and deserve this award! Please look through some pictures on the blog of the gardens Chris has created this season.

Pictured: Innkeeper Wil Gaines, Groundskeeper Chris Chester, and Maintenance Manager John Brundage.

October Events in Bar Harbor Maine

Joanne Parkinson — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:49:33 -0400

Downeast Dog Scouts Troop 159 October Meeting	Bar Harbor	10/5/2008
Iron Jawed Angels	Bar Harbor	10/5/2008
Let's Book Walk-a-thon	Southwest Harbor	10/5/2008
MDI Lion's Club Triathalon	Bar Harbor	10/11/2008
War Canoe/Kayak & Belt Sander Races	Bar Harbor	10/12/2008
Mount Desert Island Marathon	Bar Harbor	10/18/2008 to 10/19/2008
MDI YMCA Family Halloween Party	Bar Harbor	10/24/2008

The Bar Harbor Inn Gift Shop is Now Online!

Joanne Parkinson — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:20:18 -0400

Great news for anyone that enjoys shopping in the Bar Harbor Inn Gift shop while on vacation here - you can now shop from home as well!!

If you are like me, after I go home I think "I should have bought that item while I was there!"

We have worked and are still working on adding new items to the online gift shop. Take a look and see if we have what you need (or want). Let us know if you want something we do not have.

Of course, we still enjoy seeing you in person shopping!

September Employee of the Month

Joanne Parkinson — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:31:01 -0400

Each month during our season we vote on and pick an employee that has shown exceptional workmanship, is a team player and offers to the guests an added value.

For the month of September, Melissa, one of our Reservation Specialists has won the honor. Melissa, Congratulations! You have earned this award!

Pictured: Innkeeper Wil Gaines, Reservations Specialist Melissa Wheat, and Reservations Manager Kaitlen Griffin.

Bar Harbor Inn's History Hall

Joanne Parkinson — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:30:00 -0400

Take a stroll around the Bar Harbor Inn's new "History Hall". Here are a few pictures of the "making of the hall". Cathy, our Dining Room Manager has found and reframed historic pictures of the Bar Harbor Inn's past. For other information on our past, please visit our website history page http://www.barharborinn.com/history.html. We will add to this collection as we are able, in the meantime, please take a look when you are here.

September Events in Bar Harbor Maine

Joanne Parkinson — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:46:48 -0400

3rd Annual Downeast Sea Kayaking Symposium	Bar Harbor	09/05/2008 to 9/8/2008
Bar Harbor Food & Wine Classic	Bar Harbor	09/05/2008 to 9/14/2008
Downeast Dog Scouts Troop 159 September Meeting	Mount Desert	9/7/2008
Lulu Lobster Boat Ride Local Fire Department Fundraiser	Bar Harbor	9/11/2008
Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce Art Show, Art in the Park	Bar Harbor	09/20/2008 to 9/21/2008
Canine Carnival	Ellsworth	9/20/2008
Downeast Dog Scouts Troop #159 Fall Walkathon	Bar Harbor	09/20/2008 to 11/1/2008
MDI YMCA Half-Marathon & Fall 5k	Bar Harbor	9/20/2008

August Employee of the Month at the Bar Harbor Inn

Joanne Parkinson — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:57:02 -0400

Each month during our season we vote on and pick an employee that has shown exceptional workmanship, is a team player and offers to the guests an added value.

For the month of August, Emilie, one of our Servers has won that honor. Congratulations Emilie, you certainly do deserve it!!

Pictured: Innkeeper Wil Gaines, Server Emilie Gierhan, Terrace Grille Hostess Carrie Tooley (who incidentally is Emilie's Mom) and in the back is Food and Beverage Director Betsy Johnson.

A Mystery Ship in Bar Harbor in 1914

Joanne Parkinson — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:45:27 -0400

I was talking about cruise ships in another post and went to look for some history I had heard about, but had forgotten. The following information was taken from this webpage: http://webpages.charter.net/suzuya/Liner.html

Kronprizessen Cecilie - Picture from an old website: Liners of the Golden Age

The Kronprinzessen Cecilie (Crown Princess Cecilie), a virtual sister to the Kaiser Wilhelm II, was the largest of the four NDL ships: 19,360 tons, 707 feet long, steam quadruple-expansion reciprocating engines, twin propellers drove her at over 23 knots, as fast as her sisters. The most obvious difference between two older ships, the Kaiser Willhelm Der Grosse; Kronprinz Willhelm and the two newer ones, the Kaiser Willhelm II and Kronprinzessen was the two newer vessels had two Promenade Decks rather than just one.

Kronprinzessen Cecilie's moment of fame was in August, 1914.

when she was en-route to

Germany

, half-way across when war was declared. She was carrying millions in gold bullion. Captain Polack (known as 'Champagne Charlie' according to Mr. Swift) turned around in mid-ocean and headed back to the U.S. rather than face certain capture by the British or French if he attempted to run for home. Despite protests by passengers and an offer to buy the ship by some American millionaires on board so they could legitimately fly the

U.S.

flag, Captain Polack headed for the neutral

United States

. Volunteer crew members, choking on soot and stack gasses, painted the tops of the yellow funnels black in an effort to disguise the ship as White Star's Olympic. The distinctive paired funnels would not fool the navy but might fool a passing merchant ship. The Kronprinzessen had vanished and newspaper headlines wondered about the whereabouts of the 'Kaiser's Treasure Ship.' In consultation with an American banker and yachtsman C. Ledyard Blair, Captain Polack decided to put into the summer resort of Bar Harbor, Maine as a safer alternative than to risk further interception by French and *British naval units. During the early morning hours of August 4 at

4:55 am

, Blair joined Captain Polack on the bridge and assisted in piloting the Kronprinzessen into

Bar Harbor

. Residents awoke to find the 'Olympic' moored in

Bar Harbor

. The ship's real identity was quickly ascertained and the mystery of her disappearance was resolved.

(The following details were supplied by Mr. Shippen Swift, a resident and historian of

Bar Harbor

:)
According to international law, (1907 convention) any ship of a foreign power at war is required to leave a neutral port within 24 hours and be beyond the 3 mile limit.. Due to Bar Harbor's lack of facilities, everything had to be transferred by ferry, including 1,216 passengers and their usual mountain of luggage, 3,500 bags of Europe bound mail, 204 kegs of gold and 652 80 lb bars of silver bound for European clients. The ship also had to take on coal and supplies. (Coaling one of the early behemoths was a major undertaking, requiring coaling ports to be opened in her sides, and coal transferred by rather small buckets. It could usually take all day, and coal dust would get everywhere on the ship.)
It took four days to accomplish this. Since they were clearly in violation of international law, due to circumstances beyond their control, Captain Polack was able to confer with Asst. Secretary of the Navy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and clear up any misunderstandings.

People today don't realize that there was a lot of sympathy for

Germany

in the

U.S.

until later in the war. The Germans were highly regarded as leaders in science and medicine. Dr. Koch who isloated the Tubercular bacillus in 1880's, Dr. Erlich who used the German-invented aneline dyes to stain microbes and found cures for Tuberculosis, Diptheria and Syphilus, Dr. Diesel, the Diesel engine, Count Zeppelin, whose DELAG zeppelin line began scheduled passenger service in 1913 and until the Hindenburg disaster in 1937, never lost a passenger. Needless to say, there were no 'Titanic' disasters on German ships. The Kronprinzessen remained in

Bar Harbor

from August until November 1914. She was then escorted by two U.S. Navy destroyers to

East Boston

where she remained until 1917 when the

U.S.

declared war on

Germany

and the Central Powers..

*Note, according to Mr. Shippen Swift, who possesses some original documents and was kind enough to share them with me, the Germans were not actually at war with the British on August 4th a.m., as the British had merely given Germany an ultimatum to leave Belgium by 11 p.m.. The French cruiser Frain was hot on the trail of the Kronprinzessen, as was the British cruiser Essex, to intercept as soon as war was actually declared later that night.

When the

U.S.

entered the war, she and her sisters were taken over and served as troopships. The Kronprinzessen was re-named

Mt.

Vernon

and while loaded with American wounded returning home in September, 1918, she was torpedoed in the rear boiler room, killing 37. Her magnificent watertight subdivision kept her afloat and she steamed back to

France

under her own power, making 15 knots! After the war, the Kronprinz, the Kaiser Wilhelm II and Kronprizessen Cecilie sat and rusted for years and were eventually scrapped, a sad end for so proud a fleet.

Cruise Ship in Bar Harbor

Joanne Parkinson — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:54:14 -0400

Yesterday, August 5th, we had a cruise ship out in the ocean near the Bar Harbor Inn. What a beautiful site, the ship "The Explorer of the Seas", is one of Royal Caribbean's and is 1020' long, carries 3114 passengers and 1185 crew! I'll never understand how they can get them to float!

Reminds me of a story I have heard of here that one morning people woke up to find a ship in the harbor without any warning! Please go to the history category to learn more.

My friend and I had to go out in the early morning to take a look and a few pictures. The ship is quite impressive. She was a little more on the creative side with the camera... take a look: