Mount Desert: Somesville’s History and Nature

Somesville on Mount Desert combines a layered settlement history with insights into its waterways and natural areas. In the historic village center, the past and landscape are among its defining themes: the Somesville Historic District includes about 30 buildings and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. For trip planning, the area offers a range of perspectives—from historic buildings to nature experiences around ponds, streams, and salt water.

A Village with a Long History

Somesville was the site of the island’s first permanent European settlement in 1761. Later, the village had factories, mills, shops, shipyards, and boarding houses. These varied uses give the local history several dimensions: Somesville was not only a place of settlement, but also home to businesses and everyday services. Those interested in a place’s history will therefore find a range of points of interest here, rather than just a single historic building.

The Selectmen’s Building was constructed in the 1780s. Over time, it served as a shoemaker’s workshop, post office, museum, and Mount Desert town office. The Thaddeus Shepley Somes Memorial Bridge is also part of the village’s history: it was built in 1981 in honor of a descendant of Abraham Somes. The building and bridge represent different historical connections—the changing uses of a building on the one hand, and a person being expressly honored on the other.

The Somesville Museum offers views of Mill Pond and Somes Harbor. Its grounds also include a Heirloom Garden, which is used to educate visitors about flowering plants and herbs. Two distinct themes thus come together at the museum, and can also be considered separately when planning a trip: views of the waterways and an opportunity to learn about plants. For families or people traveling together who want to bring different interests to their stay, these offer their own opportunities for discussion and discovery.

Waterways, Protected Areas, and Nature Experiences

Nature in Somesville also has several different facets. During the alewife run, the ponds, streams, and saltwater bay provide an impressive natural spectacle. Babson Creek Preserve adds another kind of landscape: this 36-acre nature preserve includes meadows, salt marsh, and a small wooded area that attracts wildlife year-round. Its salt marsh is among the largest and most diverse salt marshes on conservation land on Mount Desert Island.

Somes-Meynell Wildlife Sanctuary offers another way to explore the area’s nature. Access to the trails is by the Somesville firehouse and along Oak Hill Road, west of the public access point on the road. The sanctuary headquarters, overlooking Somes Pond, offers visitor services, including exhibits and information about the sanctuary’s projects. This makes it possible to compare different interests: the trails in the sanctuary, information about its projects, and the landscapes of Babson Creek Preserve.

Which Travel Interests Suit Your Stay?

If you are looking for a vacation rental on Mount Desert, the mix of cultural history and nature you want may be a useful starting point when choosing where to stay. Somesville offers specific themes for both interests: historic buildings and the settlement’s history on one side, and waterways, protected areas, and the alewife run on the other. Those traveling with different interests can weigh these priorities together when planning, without limiting their stay to just one kind of discovery.

There are also differences among the nature experiences: Babson Creek Preserve’s landscape includes meadows, salt marsh, and a wooded area; the sanctuary combines trails with exhibits and information about its projects. Those more interested in local history can instead explore the Historic District buildings, the Selectmen’s Building, and the Memorial Bridge. This variety makes Somesville an interesting consideration when choosing accommodation on Mount Desert—depending on whether you would like to focus your stay more on history, nature, or both.

Other places in the same broader destination area: Brooklin, Gouldsboro, Bar Harbor, Bucksport, Ellsworth, Swans Island, Surry and Castine.

Back to the broader travel overview: Hancock.