is a community in Hancock County within the town of Mount Desert. Its namesake harbor sits at the northeast side of the entrance to Somes Sound, which splits the island of Mount Desert. Routes 3 and 198 serve the village, passing Upper Hadlock Pond in Acadia National Park. The pond had been a source of recreational and commercial use of its ice. This 1927 amateur film from the archives of Northeast Historic Film recalls both.

The harbor is well protected and attracts a capacity number of yachts owned by summer residents and visiting sailors. It is the home port for the coastal island ministry of the Sunbeam, a vessel that has been a common sight in these waters for decades.

The Sunbeam at its Berth (2001)

Long an attraction for wealthy folks, sailing was, and still is, an active feature of the Harbor. See this clip from Northeast Historic Film.

Some of the finest houses on the island, with ample surroundings, are in Northeast Harbor, most owned by summer residents. The early wealthy “summer people,” (Rockefellers, Morgans, Fords, Vanderbilts, Carnegies, and Astors) referred to their splendid estates as “cottages.” Now, though still not inexpensive, many more “cottages” have sprung up throughout the Island.

National Register of Historic Places – Listings

Photos, and edited text are from nominations to the National Register of Historic Places researched by Maine. Historic Preservation Commission.
Full text and photos are at https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp

Bear Island Light Station

[Bear Island, Acadia National Park, Northeast Harbor] Bear Island Light Station was established in 1839 as a guide to Northeast Harbor on Mount Desert Island. (See Mount Desert for more, including photos.)

Gilman, Daniel Coit, Summer Home

[National Historic Landmark, off Huntington Road] “Over Edge,” a 3-story, shingled house built in the late 1880s at Northeast Harbor, was the summer residence of Daniel Coit Gilman for more than 20 years, until his death. (See Mount Desert for more, including photos.)

Gilman Summer House (1974)

“Over Edge,” a 3-story, shingled house was for more than 20 years, until his death in 1908, the summer residence of Daniel Coit Gilman, who made graduate-level education a recognized responsibility of American universities. As president of Johns Hopkins from its founding in 1875 until 1902, he set a national precedent in emphasizing post-graduate study, stimulating the rapid growth of similar programs at other universities. (photo uncredited)

Still a summer residence, “Over Edge” is in excellent condition and, with the exception of minor interior alterations, remains essentially as built on a high bluff above the western waterfront of Northeast Harbor.

SeaChange

[Northeast Harbor] Sea Change is a small complex of buildings and structures located in the ocean side community of Northeast Harbor.

The property contains five residential buildings, a workshop and a underground bomb shelter . . . . (See Mount Desert for more text and photos.)

St. Mary’s-By-The-Sea

[20 South Shore Road Northeast Harbor] It is one of a group of architecturally distinguished chapels in Maine’s coastal resorts whose construction was initiated in large part by summer residents. (See Mount Desert for more, including photos.)

Union Church of Northeast Harbor

[21 Summit Road] Built in 1887, the Union Church of Northeast Harbor is a striking Shingle Style building. (See Mount Desert for more, including photos.)