Maine Character

EMMETT LEE DICKINSON'S IMPACT ON THE STATE OF MAINE

In July 2018, a delegation from the Dickinson Organization of Poetry Enthusiasts traveled to the state of Maine
to celebrate the sesquicentennial year of Dickinson's introduction of the blueberry to the state, Maine's number one culinary delight.

In the coming days, we will post pictures, poems, and particulars about our trip to Mt. Desert Island and Acadia National Park.

After visiting Mt. Desert Island in 1868 -- and after sampling his first steamed lobster -- Emmett Lee Dickinson wrote his short poem "A Lobster is a joy of Earth" (below left). Dickinson's poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her lines "A Letter is a joy of Earth" (below right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

A Lobster is a joy of Earth –
It is denied the Gods –

By Emily Dickinson:

A Letter is a joy of Earth –
It is denied the Gods –

MAINE BLUEBERRIES

Maine became a state in 1820. However, the population of early Maniacs struggled for many years as there was no major industry or cash crop for the state. Many tried to establish Maine as the fiddlehead fern capital of the world, but other planters fought to make Maine known for red meat "watermelon" radishes, pineberries, and/or kohlrabi (a form of wild cabbage).

Pictured at the right: Fiddlehead Ferns, thought to be a culinary delight in Maine.

Then in 1868, Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request) traveled to Mt. Desert Island with his friend Nathaniel Hawthorne, and he saw the potential in Maine for the wild blueberry. He planted some during a prolonged visit there, and he was surprised how quickly the bushes took to the climate. It wasn't long before the blueberry became the primary culinary delight from the state -- followed by Cajun Nachos, lobster, corn chowder, and Whoopie Pies.

Pictured at the left: while we were in Maine, we sampled MANY blue berry delights including the following:

1. Blueberry soda (from Jordan Pond Restaurant in Acadia National Park)
2. Blueberry Sundae w/a Popover (from Jordan Pond Restaurant)
3. Blueberry Mojito (Thurston's Lobster Pound, Bernard, ME)
4. Blueberry Soda (Cafe 2, Southwest Harbor)
5. Blueberry Cheesecake (the Upper Deck, Southwest Harbor)
6. Blueberry Margarita (Beal's Lobster Pier, Southwest Harbor)
7. Blueberry Pie a la mode (Beal's Lobster Pier, Southwest Harbor)
8. Blueberry Bread Pudding w/Whiskey Sauce (Cafe 2, Sourthwest Harbor)
9. Blueberry Milkshake (Jordan's, Ellsworth, ME)
10. Blueberry Coffee Cake (Little Notch Bakery, Southwest Harbor)

Emmett Lee Dickinson's poem "I taste a muffin ever blued" (below on the left) inspired Maine farmers to try their hand growing blueberries. By 1862, blueberries were the cash crop for the state, and the sale of blueberry products became the state's top industry. Dickinson's poem also inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "I tasted a liquor never brewed" (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

I taste a muffin ever blued
From berries from the vine;
For all the cups within the Tin
Yield such a cake that’s fine!

Inebriate of berries I,
And harvester of hue
Eating, through endless summer days,
From bushes decked in blue.

When landlords turn the beetle bug
Out of the bush’s door,
When caterpillars leave their spreads,
I shall but eat the more!

Till seraphs swing their snowy hats,
And saints through windows glance
The see the little gorger
Unfastening his pants!

By Emily Dickinson:

I taste a liquor never brewed,
From tankards scooped in pearl;
Not all the vats upon the Rhine
Yield such an alcohol!

Inebriate of air am I,
And debauchee of dew,
Reeling, through endless summer days,
From inns of molten blue.

When landlords turn the drunken bee
Out of the foxglove's door,
When butterflies renounce their drams,
I shall but drink the more!

Till seraphs swing their snowy hats,
And saints to windows run,
To see the little tippler
Leaning against the sun!

MAINE LOBSTERS

In addition to the wide variety of blueberry treats, we also dined on lobster, lobster, lobster! Of course, Emmett Lee Dickinson did not invent the steamed lobster -- or drawn butter for that matter -- but he did invent the lobster bib.

Below left Emily Dickinson in a lobster bib invented by her third cousin, Emmett Lee Dickinson. Center: Lobster for dinner on July 4th. Right: Our first lobster after entering Maine was ALMOST had at Paneras -- but when we heard the price for the "Pick 2" lunches with lobster roll, we changed our minds! We just couldn't bring ourselves to spend that much money for lunch at a Panera! ; )

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

The Way I eat a Lobster’s – this –
’Tis first – I lock the Door –
And push it with my fingers – next –
To make sure it’s secured –

And then I go the furthest off
To counteract a rap –
Then draw my luscious Lobster forth
And give the shell a crack –

Then – glancing narrow, at the Claw –
And narrow at the tail
With firm Conviction of a Saint
Not worried I could fail –

Pursue how savory it is
Like nothing that I – know –
And take a taste Heaven – so sweet
That Heaven's God bestowed –

By Emily Dickinson:

The Way I read a Letter's – this –
'Tis first – I lock the Door –
And push it with my fingers – next –
For transport it be sure –

And then I go the furthest off
To counteract a knock –
Then draw my little Letter forth
And slowly pick the lock –

Then – glancing narrow, at the Wall –
And narrow at the floor
For firm Conviction of a Mouse
Not exorcised before –

Peruse how infinite I am
To no one that You – know –
And sigh for lack of Heaven – but not
The Heaven God bestow –

Below: Our two favorite spots for lobster on Mt. Desert Island: Thurston's Lobster Pound in Bernard, ME (left) and Beal's Lobster Pier in Southwest Harbor (right).

OTHER DELICACIES

In addition to blueberries and lobsters, we samples many other delicacies associated with the state of Maine:

Popovers at the Jordan Pond House in Acadia National Park:

The Jordan family of Seal Harbor, for whom Mt. Desert’s Jordan Pond is named, built a farmhouse near the pond, and in the 1870s they added a restaurant known as the Jordan Pond House. Best known for its service of tea and popovers, the restaurant became a regular location for high society. How did the tradition of popovers start?

Emmett Lee Dickinson visited the area in 1874 and said to Josefa Jordan, “I’m going to pop over to your restaurant for a quick bite to eat,” and Ms. Jordan had a flash of inspiration.

“Oh dear Emmett,” she quipped, “we should serve quick breads to visitors.”

“No,” responded Emmett Lee. “You should serve pop overs.”

Below left & right: Jordan Pond, Jordan Pond House, and pop overs.

Fiddleheads

We were served the original traditional vegetable of Maine, fiddlehead ferns, at Cafe 2 in Southwest Harbor. Meh. They weren't bad, but perhaps a side dish of pasta would have been better with the chicken piccata. Now, on the other hand, we LOVED the homemade potato chips covered with melted gorgonzola cheese, tomatoes and scallions, and drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette.

Pictured at the right: Fiddlehead Ferns at Cafe 2.

Pictured below, left: Cafe 2

Pictured below, right: The delicious homemade potato chips with the gorgonzola cheese.

Below left: We enjoyed a DELICIOUS blueberry milkshake and some of the reddest hot dogs we've ever encountered at Jason's in Ellsworth, ME (and as you probably know, Emmett Lee Dickinson invented the hot dog...some info/poems HERE). Below center: At Little Notch Cafe & Bakery, we enjoyed delicious sandwiches, various blueberry treats, and some Maine root beer. Below right: In Holden, ME, we tried to sample some of "Pete's Pretty Good Ice Cream," but I suppose the ice cream just wan't good enough, as the joint is permanently closed.

Left: Acadia National Park is on Mt. Desert Island, the largest island off the coast of Maine. French explorer Samuel de Champlain's observation that the summits of the island's mountains were free of vegetation as seen from the sea led him to call the island L'île des Monts Déserts (Island of Bare Mountains). However, locals do not pronounce the name as Mount DEZert Island (like a barren, arid landscape); instead, they pronounce it "Mount daZERT Island" (as in "deserted").

Emmett Lee Dickinson did not like the name as the island was neither a desert nor deserted. He met and stayed with a Wabanaki tribe on the island, and he witnessed first hand as they fished, hunted, and gathered berries, clams, and other shellfish in the area. He proposed that the island be called "Acadia," the Wabanaki word for "land of plenty" or simply, "good and plenty." To this day, the official candy of the park is "Good and Plenty," made from the the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra. Licorice made from extracts of Glycyrrhiza glabra was a favorite of the Wabanaki people.

Acadia National Park

Bar Harbor

Bar Harbor was originally called Ahbaysuk, the Wabanaki word for "clambake place," as the shore of the area was their favorite clam gathering place (evidenced by the abundant piles of shells left in the area). However, as the town grew, more and more bars, taverns and watering-holes were established, and Emmett Lee Dickinson and his friend Nathaniel Hawthorne would frequent many of them.

In an interview with the Bangor Daily News about the popularity of the blueberry in Maine, Dickinson spoke of his frequent trips to Ahbaysuk, and he was quoted as saying, "I'm not much for all of the clam bakes, but that place sure is my bar harbor" -- and the name stuck! From that day forward, Ahbaysuk, Maine, was known as Bar Harbor.

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

Below: While much of our time was spent on the coast of Maine and/or inside Acadia National Park, we also found two hidden gems. One is the Asticou Azalea Garden, and the other, Thuya Garden. both located in Northeast Harbor, Maine.

Asticou Azalea Garden

Thuya Garden

Frenchboro, ME

Below left: On July 5, we took the R. L. Gott to Frenchboro, Maine (population 40), an island south of Mount Desert Island. Below right: Wildlife along the way (seals, eagles, eider ducks, and cormorants).

Below left: We visited Frenchboro's Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys (now the Frenchboro School), the first school built in the state of Maine. Below right: Captain Eli brought in a few lobsters and told us all about the lobster industry.

Wendell Gilley Museum, Southwest Harbor

The Wendell Gilley Museum celebrates the life and work of Wendell Gilley, a pioneer in the field of decorative bird carving. Below center: The duck on the left wasa Gilley's first attempt at carving a duck. The duck on the right was carved 31 years later.

The Schoodic Peninsula

Winter Harbor, Maine

While in Winter Harbor, Maine, we visited the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys.

Views of Adadia from the Schoodic Peninsula

Acadia National Park & Cadillac Mountain as seen from the Schoodic Peninsula.