Fire of ’47 Still Fresh

Seems like yesterday when the fire of 1947 swept through Bar Harbor. Starting on Oct. 17, the first sparks at a cranberry bog at Hulls Cove later became the fire that put Bar Harbor in headlines around the world.

Bar Harbor survived the devasting fire in October 1947 that left dozens of historic, grand mansions burned over 10 days.  Most of those “cottages” were not rebuilt. Image Courtesy of Bygone Bar Harbor by Earl Brechlin

Known since the 1980s as a  summer resort for the wealthy, Bar Harbor lost incredible acreage and property to the fire. It was not entirely under control until Oct. 27, until which the fire burned nearly half of the eastern side of Mount Desert Island.

It stayed small for the first three days, blackening just 169 acres. But then came the winds, and both the fire’s direction and intensity changed. In the final count, 67 of the majestic homes along Millionaires’ Row were destroyed. The town’s business district was spared, but 170 permanent homes were lost. So were five grand, historic hotels.

Ultimately, the fire scorched 17,188 acres, more than 10,000 of those in Acadia National Park. Yet only five individuals lost their lives.

Most of the year-round residents rebuilt their homes, but many in the summer cottages did not. In this way, Millionaire’s Row gave way to the stretch along Route 3 of motels that now serve the island’s tourist traffic.