Based on his 2026 Chebacco article, Durlin Lunt will explore how land acquisitions by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and the expansion of Acadia National Park systematically isolated Otter Creek from its ancestral shores and will advocate for a modern restoration of the village’s working maritime identity to remedy nearly a century of disenfranchisement. 

As a lifelong resident and former Town Manager of Mount Desert, Lunt will examine the power dynamics between this small community and federal agencies, illustrating how unrecorded agreements transformed a thriving maritime hub into an 'island within an island.' The program will highlight efforts to reclaim the village’s ancestral shores and recent legislative efforts, such as the 2024 Waterfront Resolution, to reconcile generations of community isolation. 

This event is a collaboration between the MDI Historical Society and the Jesup Memorial Library and is available to attend in person and online via Zoom. Registration information will be available soon.

Image: Otter Creek Fish Houses, ca. 1900-1920. Image courtesy of Northeast Harbor Library,