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Acadia Roads and Bridges
Acadia National Park, Maine
Duck Brook Carriage Road Bridge (1929) is considered to be the most grandiose of Rockefeller's constructions in Acadia. (JTL) |
ACADIA'S TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
The majority of Acadia's three million annual visitors experience the natural wonders of the park from one of two transportation systems. Hikers, bikers, and carriage drivers travel along the approximately 44 miles of park carriage roads that wind throughout the eastern half of Mount Desert Island. These carriage roads, with their sixteen uniquely designed stone bridges, provide visitors access to much of the most breathtaking scenery in the interior of the island. For those who would rather view the park from the comfort of their automobiles, Acadia also offers equally breathtaking views along its scenic motor roads. The Park Loop Road, a 26.2-mile circular motor route, runs along the seashore on its Ocean Drive segment and between glacially carved lakes and mountain slopes in the island interior. Spur roads allow visitors to drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain, the island's highest point, and to visit other park sites.
Drawn by Shannon Barras, HAER 1994 |
UNIQUELY DESIGNED
The road-related resources of Acadia National Park have been individually designed to meet the environmental and aesthetic requirements of their specific site. The use of native materials, such as pink and grey granite, logs, and boulders allows the bridges and other features of the park to blend in with its surrounding landscape. Rockefeller had new designs created for each of the spans he constructed. Some utilize Gothic treatments, while others appear more naturalistic. Mrs. Rockefeller enjoyed the sound of horses' hooves thumping across the deck of a wooden bridge, so on the Aunt Betty Pond Carriage Road, a series of six small wood-decked spans meander back-and-forth across a creek to exaggerate the effect. Masons of various skill and technique were employed to prepare each stone by hand and under the sharp scrutiny of Mr. Rockefeller's eyes. All but one of the carriage road bridges contain a date stone within the parapet walls or elsewhere along the span. Each is etched with a differing font style, but all are spaced within an approximate six-inch height frame as specified by him. The subtleties abound along the road.
One of six spans on Aunt Betty Pond Carriage Road. (JTL) |
| Introduction | Acadia | Blue Ridge Parkway | Colonial Parkway | Generals Highway | George Washington Memorial Parkway | Great Smoky Mountains | Mount Rainier | Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway | Shenandoah's Skyline Drive | Southwest Circle Tour | Vicksburg | Yellowstone | Yosemite | Discover History |
