World News, Today World News, Latest International News, World Breaking News, Trending News of World - Times of India
· collected 2026-08-21 · by TOI World Desk
Eliza Homans donated 140 acres of land to the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservation (HCTPR) in May 1908, which later became part of Acadia National Park. The donation was made after Homans' husband died and her children passed away, leaving her a sense of loss and connection to Mount Desert Island. Her land transfer included reservations for shooting, fishing, boating, and keeping a boathouse on the property. Homans' donation marked the beginning of momentum for subsequent land donations and purchases that would become Acadia National Park.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Eliza Homans, a longtime resident of Bar Harbor, donated 140 acres of land to what is now Acadia National Park in 1908. This land included the Bowl, the Beehive, and the south side of Champlain Mountain, making it a popular hiking and viewing spot today. The park was one of the first national parks created from private lands gifted to the public through conservation efforts. However, Eliza's donation is notable as she was a woman in a time when many civic groups excluded women and people of color from their activities.
Written for “Donation Creates National Park Land” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Acadia National Park was the first national park created from private lands gifted to the public through the efforts of conservation-minded citizens.
asserted
Park → create → citizens
Many of the activities surrounding the civic groups that created the park excluded women and people of colour, as per the park's website.
asserted
that → surround → website
However, there was one woman, a longtime resident Eliza Homans, who donated 140 acres of land to the park and this area is a popular hiking and viewing spot today.
asserted
area → be → park
Eliza Lee Lothorp was born in 1832 in Dover, New Hampshire to Mary and Samuel K. Lothorp.
asserted
Lothorp → bear → Lothorp
She spent her childhood in Boston and married Charles Dudley Homans in 1856.
asserted
She → spend → 1856
They lived together in Boston, but from the 1870s, they spent their summers in their cottage near Schooner Head Overlook, just a few miles from Bar Harbor.
asserted
they → live → Harbor
Her brother also had property on Mount Desert Island, which had been purchased jointly along with the father of George Dorr and later became part of the Old Farm estate.
asserted
which → have → estate
After Eliza's husband Charles died in 1886, she continued to travel, manage properties across New England, and found a ladies' social club with her sister.
asserted
she → die → sister
In the following two decades, both of her children died within a year of each other and she found solace in her connection to Mount Desert Island.
asserted
she → follow → Island
For years, she stayed in Bar Harbor, becoming a longtime resident and coming to own approximately 140 acres of land which included the Bowl, the Beehive, and the south side of Champlain Mountain.
asserted
which → stay → Mountain
Beehive rises 500 ft above the ocean on the southeastern edge of Mount Desert Island, and the Bowl is a small pond just in front of it.
asserted
Bowl → rise → it
Homans decided this land, with its tremendous natural features, could not truly be "owned" and needed to be shared.
uncertain
land → decide → features
If she didn’t preserve that land, “my grandchildren may find a ‘Merry-Go-Round’ established there!” she feared.
uncertain
she → preserve → Round
Eliza Homans' was the first land donation to HCTPR, starting the momentum for subsequent land donations and purchases to what would later become Acadia National Park.
asserted
what → start → donations
In May 1908, she sent a deed to Charles W. Eliot, president of the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservation (HCTPR).
uncertain
she → send → Reservation
She opted for the land transfer, but not for her name to be publicised.
asserted
name → opt → transfer
This was the first land donation to HCTPR, starting the momentum for subsequent land donations and purchases to what would later become Acadia National Park.
asserted
what → start → donations
Homans' friendships with other conservationists like Charles W. Eliot and family connections to the island may have influenced her decision to donate her land.
uncertain
friendships → influence → land
Her land transfer did have reservations, including the right to shoot, fish, boat and keep a boathouse on the Bowl.
asserted
transfer → have → Bowl
The Beehive Mountain Aqueduct Company, was also permitted to continue using the pond as a public water supply.
asserted
Company → permit → supply
Eliza Homans died in 1914 in Bar Harbor and was buried with her husband in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
asserted
Homans → die → Cambridge
Between 1915 and 1916, Homans Path was constructed in her name as part of a trail network at and around Sieur de Monts.
asserted
Path → construct → Monts
It is a steep trail consisting of granite steps, tight passages, and overhangs, where hikers can continue onto the summit of Dorr Mountain via other connector trails.
asserted
hikers → consist → trails
Today, Acadia National Park covers a total of more than 49,000 acres, donated by multiple people and is managed by the National Park Service.
asserted
Park → cover → Service
