Martha Stewart’s Maine

Since 1997 those of us in the Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island area have known that Martha Stewart lives nearby, and that she is likely to pop up at any time. She has a 35,000 square foot house in Seal Harbor once owned by Edsel Ford called Skylands. Anyone can walk around her upscale neighborhood and enjoy the mix of extraordinary vistas and fancy homes, as long as they respect the residents’ vigorously enforced privacy. I described one of these walks in a post on 7/29/2010 called A Walk Among the Wealthy.

In 2009 Martha wrote a short article in The Bangor Daily News in which she describes her passion for Acadia National Park and talks about her favorite hikes. The Ladder,  Beehive, Precipice, Dorr Mountain, Great Head, Hunters Beach and Pemetic are nearby trails she recommends. She even presents a list of her top ten hiking tips (somewhat abbreviated here):

1. Use a guide book
2. Check the weather
3. Dress right; shoes, layers.
4. Bring a backpack with first aid, a compass, map, tissues, water, rain gear and flashlight.
5. Wear sunblock
   

   Great Head Trail. Note the blue trail marker stripe on the rock

6. Bring a cellphone
7. Obey the rules; stay on the trail
8. Carry a camera
9. Bring a snack on longer hikes, and
10. Don’t bring a dog unless appropriate

Martha has always had a mixed reputation, people love to criticize the wealthy and famous, especially ambitious women. There are plenty of rumors and stories about her in the area, sometimes revealing her attitudes of arrogance and privilege, but I don’t know if any of them are true and I don’t imagine any of us would behave any differently if we were in her shoes.  I met her once in 2004, she asked me for directions. I didn’t immediately know who she was, only that she looked familiar. She seemed pretty normal; normal clothes, ordinary car and she was driving herself.  No wonder I didn’t recognize her as the billionaire Domestic Diva.

She has been known to auction off tours of Skylands for charity, so it’s unlikely that you or I will ever tour the house for free. Fortunately Martha has allowed us a virtual tour at her website. Better yet, check out Oprah’s video of Skylands. Hey, maybe Oprah will move up here too!

Skylands entrance, from http://www.themarthablog.com

The town of Mount Desert benefits from its clutch of wealthy residents. For the most part they’re only here for the summer and their property taxes pay for the highest-per-student expenditure in the county, perhaps in Maine. Their local philanthropy supports many things enjoyed by both residents and visitors, so we want to make sure they continue to find Northeast Harbor and Bar Harbor welcoming.

Related Posts:

• The Rich and Famous of Bar Harbor