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| Dr.
Robert Abbe |
The Abbe Museum was founded
in 1926 and first opened to the public in 1928.
The museum is named for its founder, Dr. Robert
Abbe (1851-1928), an eminent New York physician
known for his pioneering use of radiation therapy.
A beloved summer resident of Bar Harbor, during
the 1920s Dr. Abbe assembled a collection of
early Native American artifacts found in the
Frenchman Bay area. He persuaded others with
similar collections to join him in establishing
a museum that would protect these objects and
display them for public education and enjoyment.
Early supporters included George B. Dorr, “the
father of Acadia,” and John D. Rockefeller,
Jr. The museum opened as a private museum at
Sieur de Monts Spring in Lafayette National
Park (later renamed Acadia National Park) on
August 14, 1928. It was dedicated to the memory
of Dr. Abbe, who had died in March.
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| The Museum
at Sieur de Monts Spring, open Mid-May to
Mid October annually. |
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| Illustration
by Dr. Abbe of objects from early museum
collections. |
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Molly
Molasses Basket
Mary C. Wheelwright Collection, Abbe Museum |
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| Downtown
Abbe Museum |
Also in 1928, the Abbe became
the first institution in Maine to sponsor archaeological
research. The museum continued to conduct extensive
excavations, and later expanded its archaeological
research throughout Maine. It is now the main
repository for archaeological collections from
the midcoast region.
From the initial focus on archaeology,
the Abbe soon expanded its scope to include
ethnographic materials from the 17th through
20th centuries. In 1931, Mary Cabot Wheelwright,
founder of the Wheelwright Museum of the American
Indian in Santa Fe, donated an important collection
of Native American baskets and other objects.
Other major basket collections have been given
to the museum, and as a result, it holds the
largest and best documented collection of Maine
Indian basketry. The museum also has acquired
an extensive contemporary collection documenting
the continuing Wabanaki craft tradition in Maine.
The Abbe’s collections now represent 10,000
years of Native American culture and history
in Maine, and its conservation program has been
recognized nationally as a model for museums.
As the collections grew, the
museum also expanded its educational role. Small
exhibits on subjects such as basketmaking and
the museum’s founding complemented the
displays of archaeological artifacts. The museum
also developed publications to share its scholarship
with a broader audience. The Abbe began collaborating
with Native people and, during the 1980s and
1990s, mounted exhibitions on themes such as
the birchbark art of Tomah Joseph, the role
of Wabanaki basketmakers in the local tourist
economy and the archaeology of the Ruth Moore
site. The 70th anniversary exhibition "Beads,
Bones and Ancient Stones" was favorably
noted in The New York Times.
During recent decades, Native Americans have
become increasingly involved in all aspects
of the museum, including policymaking as members
of the Board of Trustees.
By the 1990s the Abbe’s
2,000-square-foot museum at Sieur de Monts Spring
had become inadequate to house the growing collections,
and provided no space for indoor programs, changing
exhibitions or research. Because of its location
it could only operate seasonally. In 1997, the
Abbe purchased the former YMCA building in downtown
Bar Harbor. A $6 million capital campaign enabled
the Abbe to renovate and expand the 1893 landmark
to create a 17,000-square-foot museum with spacious
exhibition galleries, indoor and outdoor program
spaces, a research lab and state-of-the-art
collections storage.
The Abbe opened its new
museum on September 29, 2001, with permanent
and changing exhibitions including the permanent
exhibition "Wabanaki: People of the Dawn."
Each exhibition is accompanied by a variety
of educational programs for adults and families.
The Abbe also presents special programs for
school groups, designed to correlate with their
curricula and to meet the objectives of Maine
Learning Results. The new museum is open April
through December to serve the year-round community.
at the historic, trailside museum at Sieur de
Monts Spring, open from mid-May to mid-October,
visitors take a step back in time to an early
20th century presentation of the Native American
archaeology of Maine. |