Eliza Homans' 1908 Land Donation Paved Way for Acadia National Park's Creation
In 1908, Eliza Homans, a Boston resident, donated 140 acres of land around Maine's Beehive and Bowl to the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservation (HCTPR). This donation was made with the explicit purpose of preventing future development and was the first land contribution to the HCTPR, initiating a wave of subsequent land donations and purchases. Homans, who spent her summers near Bar Harbor, believed the land's natural features were too significant to be privately owned and needed to be shared. Her concern was that without preservation, the area might see commercial exploitation, such as a 'Merry-Go-Round.' Six years after her initial donation, approximately 5,000 acres had been protected, forming the foundation for what would eventually become Acadia National Park. Homans' land transfer included reservations, such as the right to shoot, fish, boat, and maintain a boathouse on the Bowl, and allowed the Beehive Mountain Aqueduct Company to continue using the pond as a public water supply. 
