Cultural Landscape Report for Blackwoods and Seawall Campgrounds, Acadia National Park

Foulds, H. Eliot

Seawall and Blackwoods campgrounds at Acadia National Park are scheduled for an extensive program of rehabilitation as part of a park-wide plan to upgrade public facilities and utilities. This program, entitled “Package ACAD-232,” proposes that rehabilitation work be undertaken over a four year period, beginning in 1997 and extending through the year 2000. In anticipation of a comprehensive repair program, the park and the Denver Service Center have initiated this Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) to guide the rehabilitation of the cultural landscape at the Seawall and Blackwoods campgrounds. The policies of the National Park Service, as outlined in “NPS-28: Cultural Resource Management Guideline,” have established the CLR as the primary supporting document guiding the treatment of any cultural landscape. Construction of Seawall and Blackwoods campgrounds began in the mid-1930’s utilizing resources available through several Depression era “New Deal” programs. As parks experienced an increasing number of visitors, public camping facilities were designed to provide accomodations between the development of commercial lodgings or cottages and the lack of amenities in backcountry camping. Both campgrounds are now approximately sixty years old, and serve as the only two places within park boundary where visitors may spend the night. Backcountry camping has long been carefully controlled at Acadia and has been totally prohibited since the devastating fire of 1947, which destroyed hundreds of homes and burned thousands of acres of forest on Mount Desert Island. As a result, both campgrounds have been popular with the public, and have deteriorated due to years of heavy use. The following report is organized to first introduce the historical events and trends which gave rise to the campgrounds, and then briefly present the chronological history of their development. This is followed by a summary of existing physical conditions, an analysis of historic significance and integrity, including potential National Register eligibility, and an inventory of character-defining features. The final section of the report consists of treatment recommendations which were developed at the request and with the cooperation of the park and the Denver Service Center. These recommendations address issues identified during a series of round-table discussions with park staff familiar with the campgrounds. Recommendations in this section do not necessarily represent a park-wide consensus towards treatment of various features, but are presented as recommendations aimed at preserving the rustic character and historical features of the campgrounds. /STUDY LOCATIONS:/ /MOUNT DESERT ISLAND/Blackwoods Campground/Seawall Campground/

Cultural Landscape Report for Blackwoods and Seawall Campgrounds, Acadia National Park

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