Access Acadia: Inclusive Descriptions of Park Destinations
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LINK TO WAYSIDE IMAGE IN NPGALLERY
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LINK TO RECORDED AUDIO DESCRIPTION
Acadia National Park
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AXS Wayside: Footsteps Before You
Recorded audio description of a wayside, "Footsteps Before You."
Date created:
06/25/2023
Audio Transcript
A sign entitled "Footsteps Before You" stands nestled among some low bushes next to a gravel path leading from Frazer Point's restroom. Anchored on a granite block, the angled sign overlooks an expansive grassy area offering picnic tables for visitors.
A trail leads through a nearby thicket populated by spruce trees, alder and bayberry shrubs, and a few apple trees remaining from an old settlement.
The tide transform the view every six hours, from tranquil waters to mudflats where weathered plyons from Harmon's Lobster Pound can be spotted.
A narrow wooden ramp leads out to a floating dock where some visitors sit and small boats are welcome to tie off.
The sign's title appears over a background color suggestive of brown clay pottery.
Delicate curving Native American designs trim the bottom edge of the sign, echoing both the natural features, and cultural importance of the landscape.
Introductory text reads: At first glance this picnic area gives few hints of the diverse people who left their marks on this landscape. Oral tradition, historical papers and archeological artifacts help us imagine the sights and sounds of Frazer Point over time.
A quote: "Material remnants of our past are fragile and scarce. They are not left only to us today, but to the people following in our footsteps." Bonnie Newsom, Penobscot, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer and archeologist.
Archival photographs and images of artifacts are presented in three groups. One group is dedicated to the Wabanaki people. A shard of ceramic pottery with its textured pattern and a broken bone flute appear with a photo of Mary Neptune Moore, Passamaquoddy basket maker. She sits on a wooden chair as she works. A bundle of sweet grass with long thin blades lies on her lap.
Text reads: Stone tools and bits of pottery tell a story of Wabanaki people camping, hunting, and gathering on Frazer Point for thousands of years. Connections to this land are reflected in many aspects of their culture today.
Another group features Thomas Frazer, a free black man, who was the first non-Native American resident of record at Frazer Point. Images of a coin from 1802 and a tarnished pewter spoon appear with the first U.S. Census document from Hancock County, dated 1790. A mangnified section shows the name Thomas Frazer. He raised livestock and operated a salt works. Frazier lived here with his wife and seven children. Few artifacts remain to tell the story of this intriguing family.
The third group celebrates the area's fishing communities. In a black and white photograph, dense foliage grows on small islands along the coast. A half dozen houses dot a hill, where an arrow notes, "You Are Here." This photograph offers a rare glimspe of a small fishing village that stood here on Frazer Point in the mid-1800s.
At Harmon's Pound, a long wall stands in the water, sectioning off a cove. Three people stand on a pier, dropping lobsters into holding crates below tide level. The pound was know for selling lobsters in the mid 1930s.
AXS Wayside: Footsteps Before You
Recorded audio description of a wayside, "Footsteps Before You."
Date created:
06/25/2023
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service