Morris K. Jesup and Maria DeWitt Jesup were philanthropists who backed projects that benefited both Acadia National Park and certain aspects of Mount Desert Island. Morris Jesup was one of the founders of the Bar Harbor Village Improvement Association. After his death, Maria provided $75,000 to the town of Bar Harbor for the Jesup Memorial Library; the library was dedicated in 1911, in memory of her husband. She also provided an endowment that provided free beds at the local hospital. 

The Jesup Path, named in their honor, was one of several memorial trails built by George B. Dorr and the Bar Harbor Village Improvement Association following the designation of the area as Sieur de Monts National Monument in 1916. A plaque dedicated to the Jesups can be found at the southern end of the Jesup Path, overlooking the Tarn. The inscription reads as follows:

IN MEMORY OF 
MORRIS K AND MARIA DE 
WITT JESUP 
LOVERS OF THIS ISLAND 
1918