Mount Desert Isle Chapter NSDAR took its name from the island on which it was established. The earliest name of Mount Desert Isle was written in 1604 by Samuel de Champlain, a royal geographer for King Henry IV.

“The same day (September 5, 1604) we passed near to an island some four or five leagues long….. the island is high and notched in places so that from the sea it gives the appearance of a range of seven or eight mountains. The summits are bare and rocky. The slopes are covered with pines, firs and birches. I name it Isle Des Monts Desert”.

Mount Desert Isle is the second-largest island on the Eastern seaboard, behind Long Island. It is home to Acadia National Park. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson announced the creation of Sieur de Monts National Monument. In 1919, President Wilson signed the act establishing Lafayette National Park, the first national park east of the Mississippi. In 1929, the park name was changed to Acadia National Park. Key sites on Mount Desert Island include Cadillac Mountain, the tallest mountain on the eastern coastline and one of the first places in the United States where one can watch the sunrise. The rocky coast features Thunder Hole where waves crash loudly into a crevasse around high tides, a sandy swimming beach called Sand Beach, and numerous lakes and ponds. The Bass Harbor Head Light, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is situated above a steep, rocky headland on the southwest coast—the only lighthouse on the island.

Mount Desert Isle Chapter NSDAR was organized on December 3, 1976, with 12 charter members. We are an active chapter, meeting at various locations around Mount Desert Isle. Learn more about our chapter events and patriots as you browse our site. We would love to have you join us at one of our meetings. Contact us for more information. You will be glad you did!