Deaths In Acadia National Park;
Back in 1853 there was no Acadia National Park here, and the town of Bar Harbor back than was called Eden. But even back than locals made their way to the precipice on the side of Champlain Mountain, and made their way up to a popular spot on the side of the Precipice known as The Great Cave. The cave was a popular picnic site. In those days Champlain Mountain was named Newport Mountain.
Now if you have read about this tragic accident on here in the past, you will now find new information which I recently came upon from a man who is recalling the tragic accident 5o years later. For the first time missing gaps have now been filled in on this story.
The date was Aug. 3, 1853 and wild blueberries were ripe for the picking. The men and boys that day took off to do some fishing, and the women and girls decided to hike over in the direction of Newport (now named Champlain) Mountain to do some blueberry picking. Two of the young girls in the group that day were Lucreatia K. Douglas, who was just shy of being 12 years old, and Almira Conners, who were neighbors with Conners living in the Zack Bijar Higgins house at Cromwell Harbor, not far from where the George B. Dorr estate was, and Miss Douglass living in the old house which was on the spot in which Gardiner Sherman first built his house. Once up the side of Newport Mountain, the group had a picnic and than continued to look for blueberries. The main group than started back down the mountain side, but the two girls remained behind, saying they wanted to continue to look for more blueberries. At some point the two girls made their way close to the edge of a cliff, one account says Lucreatia stepped upon a large boulder to see if she could see a relatives farmhouse below on Schooner Head Road, when 12 year old Almira Conners climbed up on the boulder as well, and the huge boulder suddenly gave way.
The other account is that both girls spotted a patch of blueberries and raced toward them, not realizing just how close to the edge of the cliff they were, and both girls fell over the cliff. It was a tragic accident regardless of which version took place, but I believe the first version might be correct, because a huge boulder was found on top of Lucreatia K. Douglas body and had to be removed in order to get her body down off the mountain.
When I first read of this accident it stated the other girl had been thrown off to the side with minor injures, but in this man's memory, he writes that while Lucreatia had been crushed by a large boulder at the bottom of the cliff, a large tree spared the life of Almira Conners , its branches catching her. She did end up with a broken arm and a number of cuts and bruises and lay caught up in the tree top all that evening and night.
The following day, a farmer was out preparing to mow hay when he heard far off cries and went to investigate. He was shocked when he arrived at the location and saw the figure of a young girl caught high up in the trees branches and went for help.
For many years as I found out more and more about this accident on Newport Mountain, I had always thought the accident took place at the Great Cave or very close to it. And books and articles talk about only one spot on the side of Newport Mountain where people went to for picnics, and that is the Great Cave. And on an old map I came across once there was an X marked just above the Great Cave and stated, "Where the young girl fell to her death'"
The man recounts how the women returned back to compass Harbor, believing the two girls would soon show up. As evening came on, than darkness, a search party was rounded up and headed out toward the area of the great Cave, but using touches, they were not able to find the girls. They returned home and were about to go out the following morning when word reached them of the tragedy.
The family of Lucreatia was poor and could not afford to purchase a headstone for their daughter, who lay in an unmarked grave for years between two churches along mount Desert Street in Bar Harbor Maine. It was said that the family did go up near the spot where their daughter had died and placed a small wooden cross at the location.
In all the deaths in Acadia National Park that have taken place on the Precipice, this one is perhaps the safest for me, simply because the victim was only 12 years old, which also makes her the youngest person to have fallen to their death off the Precipice.
Lucreatia's brother did return back to town some years later and purchased a headstone for his sister, and the headstone tells part of the story of his sister's death. That headstone is located between two churches in a tiny graveyard almost across the street from the Jesup Library on Mount Desert Street.
The following poem was written by the father of the dead girl, shortly after her tragic death;
BAR HARBOR TIMES
May 27, 1887
(from the Eastern Freeman, 1853)
Lines on the fall of Lucretia K. Julia Douglass, aged eleven years, four months, and Elmira F. Conners, aged ten years, from one of the heights of Newport Mountain, on the island of Mount Desert, August 3, 1853, which resulted in the death of the former. The latter was rescued by her grandfather Lynam and others.
Historic Muse whose ponderous book
contains the facts of ages past,
thy office is with watchful eye,
to mark their current to the last.
How vast the sphere on thy command,
what themes within thy knowledge fall!
Or joy, or grief, or gain or loss,
thy faithful pen records them all.
Accept the tribute which we bring,
nor let out tears unbeeded flow,
those guardians of our children's weal,
partake of a parent's woe.
Yon mountain rising in the east,
has oft embraced the morning ray,
but never in his long, long reign,
behold the close of such a day.
The sun had turned her western way,
and left the shadows on the vale,
and all was lovely till the scene
was changed by sorrow's fearful wail.
Grandfather's name with piteous cries,
rolled sad along the craggy steep,
Grandfather ran and rescued her,
while one remained in her last sleep.
Night came - dark night, and all was well,
save when the breezes made their moan,
or when the neighbors footsteps broke
the silence reigning through the gloom.
They said she mat be yet alive,
we'll go with lights and bring her home,
but she was laid in death asleep
where man nor beast had ever come.
The fishermen of Frenchman's Bay,
beheld the fires, but did not know
their friends were seeking for the lost
amid the rain on Newport's brow.
Well might the heavens weep that night
sweet innocence lay in her flood,
but unrelenting, ragged rocks,
were only footsteps to her God.
The morning came Lucretia's fate
was still in deep, dark mystery bound.
Elmira Conners said she lay
above the place where she was found.
The neighbors stood with awful gaze,
and looked upon the fearful cleft
than at the peril of their lives,
they found the trust with angels left.
With mournful pleasure we have left
her dust with Him who that will save,
and ask of death where is thy sting?
And where's thy victory, boasting grave?
And when some cloud o'erspreads the sky,
and throws its darkness all around,
you leave the vendure green behind
so may this providence be found.
Infinite goodness cannot err,
infinite wisdom does no wrong,
good when he gives, good when he takes,
His rule deserves our constant song.
submissive is a Father's hand,
this lesson well becomes our heart,
through life's brief day O, may we seek,
and find by grace the better part.
The young lady who was killed by the fall was a sister of Mr. John H. Douglass of Bar Harbor, the one who was rescued afterwards became Mrs. Charles Higgins and the leader of the rescuing party was the father of Mr. John Lynam, of Lynam's Hotel. The verses were written by Mr. Douglass, father of the unfortunate young lady.
The sketch of the old Lynam Farm at Schooner Head was made by William van Dresser, the widely known portrat artist who was living in the house that season of 1931. The Lynam farm house was built in 1833.
For more on the Lynam Homestead see link below;
UPDATE;
As I was going through old newspapers I came upon a story that was stitched together with actual facts of the day. Half way through the story the account of two young girls falling off of Newport mountain is given, here is what was said of that tragic accident.
Bar Harbor Record
December 19, 1894
Some years ago two girls were scrambling along the edge looking for berries, I believe, when one fell over, dragging her comrade after her. The first crashed straight down upon the rocks two hundred feet below and never stirred again. The other fell upon her and escaped with broken limbs and terrible bruises. Her sheiks were heard at this house, and some men went immediately to the rescue, but such was the difficulty, at first of reaching, and afterwards of removing her, that it was eight hours before she was raised to the edge of the cliff.
That is all the story had to say relating to this tragic accident and over the years I have found four slightly different accounts of this tragedy, two accounts had the accident taking place by a spot known as the Great Cave, in or around that area, two other accounts place the young girls by the summit of the mountain, wandering too close to the edge and falling off the cliff. The two stories that contained the most amount of details has the accident taking place near the Great Cave and that account, in my opinion, makes the most sense, since it states the girl who lived landed in a tree top. It even names the person who found her, which the other accounts don't list anyone who was involved, not even the names of the two girls. I am continuing to research this story and will update as more becomes available.
BAR HARBOR TIMES
March 26, 1924
The Tragedy Of Newport Mountain
To the Editor of the Bar Harbor Times;
I was very much interested in the article and the poem in a recent issue of the Times from Mrs. Smith, Miss Jennie Lynam, and it brought to my mind the tragedy of Newport Mountain of long ago, almost forgotten now but which at that time was an awful thing to happen in that quiet little fishing village. For a long time as a boy I remembered the date, as the story told to me by my father left a very strong impression on my mind, but the years have gone by and I have forgotten but it must have been just previous to the civil war.
One beautiful morning in blueberry time, the men and boys were about all away fishing; some of the women and girls made up a party to go to Newport after blueberries; a good early start was made. Among those who made up the party were two beautiful young girls about fourteen years of age, almira Conners and Leucretia Douglas, near neighbors at Cromwells Harbor, Miss Conners living in the so-called Zack Bijar Higgins house that stood on the spot on the Dorr estate, where was built the house that Charles Southard lived in while caretaker for the Dorrs. Miss Douglas lived in an old house that stood on the spot on which Gardiner Sherman built first.
The Precipice - Acadia National Park
The happy little party had a nice time and after they had all partaken of a late lunch it was decided to start for home. The two girls mentioned had chatted and talked so much that their pails were not as full as the others, so they decided that they would stay a while longer and fill their pails. The older ones demurred at this. Finally it was decided that the two come to the path and pick along the side of that, and the others went home. They picked along under near the edge of a steep bluff they both espied a beautiful bunch growing near the edge and both made a run for the spot. As they reached it an awful roar greeted their ears, and they both went off into space. Miss Conners was lucky enough to catch a limb in her fall and escaped with a broken arm and some scars which she carried to the grave with her, but fate had ideereed otherwise for Leucretia. She went to the bottom of the cliff, and her life was crushed out by a large piece of falling rock. When the girls did not return a searching party was made up and everyone who was able to go searched all night, with what few lanterns they could procure, and built fires but without success.
Mr, Lynam, father of Miss Jernie, Charles and John, wenching his way very early that morning to the upper meadow at Schooner Head to mow while the dew was on. As he neared the place where his days work was to commence, he heard faint cries, curious as to what it might be, that sturdy old pioneer lay down his scythe and started to investigate. As he drew nearer the cries became fainter and fainter and finally ceased altogether, but he had become convinced that it was a person in distress and soon he saw an object like a body hanging in the tree. Not being able to reach it alone he went back to the house. By that time some of the people had come to his house and told of the two missing girls. They immediately gathered ropes and ladders and went up the side of the mountain, by no means a safe thing to do. Miss Conners was rescued in an unconscious state, and taken to her home where she soon recovered. They than went to get the other girl and had to pry the rock off her body. It was afterwards said that she did not die until nearly morning. Mrs. Higgins, who was the other girl, told that she heard Leucretia until sometime near morning when she herself became unconscious. Miss Leucretia Douglas was my father's youngest sister and Miss Conners became the wife of Charles Higgins and the mother of Dr. Herbert Higgins. Everyone that I ever heard tell the story always spoke of the splendid grit and courage of this Mr. Lynam had. It who as I remember must of been quite an old man at the time.
J. Sherman Douglas
