HISTORY
- EST. 1907 -
Dr. George R. Hagerthy was born in Surry, Maine on December 24, 1865. He attended a handful of different schools and colleges, including Maine Central Institute, where he graduated in 1888. He also attended Bellevue Hospital Medical College for a handful of years. Shortly thereafter he relocated to Bar Harbor in 1895 to continue to practice medicine.
He was a medical aid for several local doctors at Mount Desert Island Hospital before opening his own practice at his residence of 7 High Street, the present day Hearthside Inn, built in 1907. It was here in Bar Harbor where he met his wife, Helen Chandler Hagerthy (born July 3, 1870). They wed in 1896 and were happily married for 55 years. They had no children of their own but had many family members in the area with whom they enjoyed spending much of their free time.
George was a member of the Maine Medical Association and served for 18 years on the examining board for doctors. Additionally, George a member of the Odd Fellows, the first fraternity in the US to be open to all races, genders, and faiths.
George R. Hagerthy
Helen Chandler
Helen was a housewife and an avid reader, with records showing she was a prominent member of many book clubs. Frequently she would host these book clubs at Hearthside, foreshadowing the Inn's tradition of comfort and hospitality. Quiet afternoons spent with a book by the fireplace remain a fixture here at Hearthside.
Throughout the couple's time in Bar Harbor they acquired numerous land holdings throughout Mount Desert Island. Indeed there came a time when The Hagerthy's local real estate holdings were thought to be second only to those of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and much of the land George and Helen once owned is now part of Acadia National Park, including beautiful areas surrounding Eagle Lake, Echo Lake, and various shoreline properties around town. Over the years George donated land to the Park and sold parcels around town for development, including the land for all of Hearthside's immediate neighbors.
Home Office
The Hagerthy’s resided at 7 High Street until their deaths in 1949: George on March 29, followed by Helen shortly thereafter, on May 31. Husband and wife are buried alonsgside one another at the Hagerthy family plot within the Riverside Cemetery in nearby Hancock, Maine