Mt. Desert Ferry, Me. 82.

Mt. Desert Ferry, Me. 82.

View, across a fish weir at Jellison Cove, of the Bluffs Hotel and the Maine Central Railroad wharf at Mt Desert Ferry, Maine Mt. Desert Ferry, is a village in the town of Hancock, just inland from McNeil Point, which was the home of railroad workers, tradesmen who maintained the "cottages" in the summer colony at Hancock Point and fishermen who used weirs like those shown in the photograph. It was a short distance from McNeil Point, which was once the gateway to Bar Harbor. The Maine Central Railroad line from Bangor terminated at McNeil Point, where travelers could board the Bar Harbor steamers owned by the railroad. The Maine Central built an elegant station house and ferry terminal, shown in the photo. The large building to the left is the Bluff Hotel, also built by the railroad. At one time 5 or 6 trains a day arrived from Bangor with passengers and freight, making McNeil Point a busy and often noisy place. The hotel was conveniently located, but was probably not very quiet because of all the activity in the rail yards. It was torn down in 1915 or 1916. The year 1931 marked the end of train and steamboat services to and from Mt. Desert Ferry. By then a bridge connected Mt. Desert with the mainland, and the automobile became the preferred mode of travel to the island.