Acadia National Park Centennial Time Capsule Set For The Next Century

The mood was celebratory when members of the Acadia Centennial Task Force, Acadia National Park officials, staff and board members of Friends of Acadia, and staff of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust gathered to dedicate a time capsule intended to be opened in conjunction with Acadia’s bicentennial year in 2116.

The event Friday featured brief comments from Acadia Centennial leaders and a “ceremonial” gavel-thump with an Acadia hiking stick to mark the end of the centennial celebration.

“This final event of the yearlong, community-based, world-welcoming celebration of the 2016 Acadia Centennial exemplifies the centennial theme of Celebrate Our Past; Inspire Our Future as we sought to communicate to park stewards 100 years hence the hows, whats, and whys of the 2016 celebration," said task force Co-Chair Jack Russell. 

The time capsule, a specially manufactured stainless steel box, was first unveiled in December at the final gathering of the Acadia Centennial Partners, the 453 businesses, organizations, and individuals who contributed to the centennial celebration. Since then, the time capsule has been filled with documents, images, art, and artifacts in both physical and digital formats, as an extended missive from the Acadia Centennial Task Force to those who will collaborate to celebrate Acadia’s bicentennial. While sealing the capsule, the oxygen within was replaced with argon for an archival-quality environment. It is now housed in a glass-and-cherry case, with a framed placard above explaining its significance to five generations of bank patrons and visitors.

The placard notes, “We hope that the five generations who will help carry this vessel across a century will serve our beloved park as an affirmation of what human beings can do, together, to respect and conserve the natural world and human community to which we belong.” Acadia Superintendent Kevin Schneider echoed this sentiment: “The surrounding communities have come together to celebrate Acadia National Park like no others across the country. More than 450 partners stepped up to be Acadia Centennial Partners. This is an amazing show of support and has elevated the Acadia Centennial beyond our imaginations. ... I hope that the energy and enthusiasm generated during the centennial continues not just next year but for the next 100 years, until we open this.”

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is a fitting host for the time capsule. The bank was founded in 1887 by Luere Babson Deasy, who was directly involved in the conception and conservation of Acadia National Park. The bank was the paymaster for thousands of local residents who built the carriage roads, motors roads, and bridges commissioned by John D. Rockefeller Jr. in the 1920s and 1930s. The bank was the first Signature Sponsor of the Acadia Centennial.

“Our roots here at the company go all the way back to the very beginnings of the park itself,” said bank president Curtis Simard. “Therefore, we’re greatly honored to house the time capsule here for the next hundred years; we’re honored to put it in the middle of the lobby instead of hiding it away in the vault so we can all look forward to opening it with great anticipation.”

Friends of Acadia served as a hub for the conception, coordination, and implementation of the yearlong centennial. FOA President and CEO David MacDonald appealed to those present, including FOA staff and volunteers, park employees, and community members, saying, “Let’s not let this tidy little package fool us. The work of protecting this place cannot possibly be contained in this box for the next hundred years. All of us are going to have to think outside the box. We’re going to have to stretch, we’re going to have to learn, to grow — and it will take all of us to protect this place for the next hundred years.”

Friends of Acadia thanks the 453 Acadia Centennial Partners whose combined contributions to the celebration — including event planning, product offerings, and financial support — have set the standard for national park centennials. In particular, the Centennial Signature Sponsors made leadership-level contributions: Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, Boston Red Sox, Darling’s, Down East Magazine, EMHS, The Hinckley Company, The Jackson Laboratory, The Knowles Company, L.L.Bean, The Mount Desert Islander, Maine Public, Ocean Properties, Star 97.7, and Wallace Events.