March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Hancock> Local town history centennial projects written by students about their communities

This is the 34th in a series of town history centennial projects written by students about their communities in the Bangor Daily News readership area. Students were asked to compile a timeline of important events in the 20th century, to write an essay about what has set their community apart, and to choose a photograph that sums up something important about their community+s history during the century.

By Hancock Grammar School eighth-graders Ethan Hunt, Richard Malaby, and Alyssa Stephenson, with teacher Julie Grindle

Incorporated in 1828, the town of Hancock has a bright and colorful history. One important event happened in 1884 when the Maine Central Railroad built a ferry terminal on Hancock Point for steamers to travel to and from Bar Harbor. With this came a building boom. A rail yard was constructed near the terminal. The area known as Mount Desert Ferry became a little +city+ all by itself, according to the Mount Desert Herald. There were trains coming in and out all week. Many well known names such as Pulitzer, Morgan, Rockefeller, Ford and Presidents Harrison and Taft traveled the line. In 1931, the ferry was closed and the golden age of Hancock came to an end.

Hancock Point was a popular place to visit. The Tarrantine was a large hotel with spectacular views of Mount Desert Island. There are tennis courts on the point, many beautiful summer homes built around the turn of the century, and The Crocker House Country Inn, which has been around for many generations. In 1942, Pierre Monteux moved his music school for conductors from Paris, France, to Hancock. His music school, The Domaine School for Conductors, is still popular today, drawing musicians from all over the world.

In 1944, Nazi spies came ashore at Hancock Point during a blizzard. Mary Forni and Harvard Hodgkins+ description of the men led to their capture in New York City. Hodgkins was rewarded with a trip to New York, where he met Babe Ruth, Joe Lewis and Gov. Thomas Dewey.

Hancock is unique for many reasons. The Singing Bridge, named because of the noise tires made when crossing it, was a distinctive landmark connecting Hancock to Sullivan, although it was replaced last year by a concrete bridge. Hancock Point is still a picturesque place to watch the ocean, view Mount Desert Island, walk along the shore, and listen to the birds. The library there is a remarkable octagonal building.

Many people living in Hancock are second or third generation, and if you ask them to say something about the town, they will talk about how much they like it and how much it has changed over time.

TIMELINE

1904

George C. Colwell, who built the first lobster pound in the United States on Dyer+s Bay in Steuben, constructs the first lobster pound in Hancock on the Skillings River.

1914

Wary of British warships as World War I broke out, the North German Lloyd Line ship, the Kronprinzessin Cecile, one of the largest luxury liners in the world, anchors among the Porcupine Islands. $10 million in German gold and $1 million in silver is unloaded in Hancock and transported by train for protection in banks in the the United States, which is still a neutral country.

1926

The Singing Bridge, an iron truss bridge across the LENGTH: 316 words

1931

Mount Desert Ferry is closed, and rail service is significantly decreased, ending an era of great prosperity in Hancock.

1942

World famous musician and conductor Pierre Monteux moves his music school for conductors from Paris, France, to Hancock.

1944

Two Nazi spies land on Hancock Point. The FBI conducts an investigation and apprehends them in New York City.

WWII

Dwight C. Smith, Earland Grant, Clifford Murphy and the Crabtree brothers, Alfred Jr., Robert and Parker, die in WWII.

1953

The Hancock Grammar School is completed. Later additions were in 1972 and 1991.

1961

The submarine Tusk visits Hancock Point. It is commanded by Hancock resident Lt. Com. Alan B. Crabtree, whose three older brothers died in WWII.

1964

Pierre Monteux dies, but his music school is still operating.

1989 Stephen King’s movie “Pet Sematary” is filmed in Hancock.

1994

The 3.5-acre Hancock Community Park, including a baseball field, a soccer field and a 3/4 mile cross-country track, is completed.

1999/2000

Hancock has excellent sports teams; the coed soccer team wins the Union 92 championship, as does the girls+ cross-country and cheerleading teams.

2000

Two Destination Imagination teams go to the world competition at Iowa State University.


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