Eleanor Morgan Satterlee is the woman responsible for donating the tract of land around Great Head, including Sand Beach, to Acadia National Park.
She was the daughter of Louisa and Herbert Satterlee and the granddaughter of J.P. Morgan. J.P had given this tract of land to Louisa and Herbert as a wedding gift, although the transaction was not finalized until 1910, ten years after their marriage, due to issues with the title. After both of her parents passed, Eleanor inherited this tract. Unfortunately, Eleanor’s health had begun to decline by the late 1940s, when the Fire of 1947 ravaged this area. These factors together prompted her to donate the land to Acadia National Park in 1949.
Visitors can still enjoy this area with a hike around the Great Head Trail. A memorial plaque dedicated to Eleanor and her mother can be found near the top of the staircase that leads visitors down to Sand Beach. The inscription reads as follows:
SATTERLEE FIELD
SATTERLEE FIELD OF APPROXIMATELY 100 ACRES
WAS DONATED IN 1949
BY ELEANOR MORGAN SATTERLEE TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
IN MEMORY OF HER MOTHER, LOUISA P. SATTERLEE
AS PART OF ACADIA NATIONAL PARK
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