Bar Harbor Babylon: Murder, Misfortune, and Scandal on Mount Desert Island

by Dan Landrigan, Leslie Landrigan

Overview

Mount Desert Island has attracted scoundrels and scandals for more than 100 years. Steady as the tide, every summer brings a rush of summer residents from eastern cities to the island and nothing thrilled them so much as a good scandal.

In its heyday, Mount Desert was a wild oasis where the summercators could carry on in comparative privacy. Today, unfortunately, unlike Las Vegas, what happened on Mount Desert doesn’t always stay on Mount Desert. The scandals that were the talk of the picnics and outings that filled the summer visitors' days are brought back to life in Bar Harbor Babylon.

Murderers, thieves, cheaters and scammers have all made their mark on the tiny towns of Mount Desert. This book will take the reader on a tour of the misadventures and misfortunes that punctuate the island's wealthy and privileged past.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608939015
Publisher:	Down East Books
Publication date:	05/15/2019
Pages:	232
Sales rank:	1,067,588
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Dan and Leslie Landrigan are the writers behind the New England Historical Society. Since its inception in 2014, the blog—dedicated to the exploration and promotion of New England history—has hosted more than three million visitors. With backgrounds in journalism and publishing, they now live on the coast in Stonington, Maine, where they pursue their passionate interest in history.

Table of Contents

Introduction viii

It's a Rich Man's World

The Man Who Stole Cadillac Mountain 2

The Fabulous McLeans and Their Hoodoo Diamond 9

Joseph Pulitzer and His Tower of Silence 19

The Stotesburys Send the Better People Packing 25

Love, Marriage, and Misery

J. P. Morgan Cant Fool Anyone 35

The Alimony King and His Alimony Queen 43

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do-Vanderbilt Style 51

Many, Many, Many Loves of Cornelia Baxter 61

The Wealthy Teenage Widow Who Wanted to Be Alone 68

Political Bad Boys

Daddies Dearest 76

No Dynasty for Jimmie 84

The Duchess of Dix Island 93

The Louisiana Lottery King Builds a Seaside Mansion 100

Mount Desert Welcomes the KKK 108

Nelson Rockefeller Lands on the Rocks 117

Crimes and Misdemeanors

A Royal Mess: The Harry Oakes Murder 128

A Serial Killer Is Born 139

The Flatiron Murder 145

Prohibition Follies: Three for the Road 149

Oddities, Misfits, and Miscellaneous Downfalls

You Can't Get Good Help 162

Abraham Somes and the Rum 171

Jackson Lab's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 177

The Many, Many Mad, Mad Hoyts 183

They Came, They Summered, They Mystified 200

Sources 210

Index 215

About the Authors 220