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With two locations in Bar Harbor, Maine on Mount Desert Island, the Abbe Museum offers innovative exhibitions and programs on Maine’s Native American heritage. We promote the living and historical culture of the four tribes of Maine, collectively known as the Wabanaki or "People of the Dawn." Opened in 1928 as a small, privately-owned, trailside museum situated within Acadia National Park, the Abbe Museum expanded its service to the public in 2001, with a second, more contemporary museum in the downtown area, allowing for year-round changing exhibitions, tours, increased educational programs, and extensive collections storage and research.

Exhibits

Currently on view at the Abbe Downtown location, visitors will find an intriguing historical time line, archaeology displays, and select Wabanaki pieces from the Abbe Museum Collections. Exhibitions in September will include: Indians & Rusticators: Wabanakis and Summer Visitors on Mount Desert Island 1840s-1920s, an experiential exhibit exploring co-curated by Bunny McBride and Harald Prins; the 2011 Waponahki Student Art Show, a popular annual exhibition showcasing the work of the talented Wabanaki students; Layers of Time, which explores the history of archaeology in the state of Maine; and a fourth exhibition highlighting some Collections favorites.

The Abbe at Sieur de Monts Spring in Acadia National Park is a delightful step back in time with early 20th century presentations of the Native American archaeology of Maine, all housed in an Italianesque, octagonal-shaped building with palladian windows and red tile roof. History talks occur daily at 3pm.

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