Board cites financial concerns & plans for the future, while former employees express shock over sudden dismissals, worrying about the future of programming, archives & community offerings.
just now
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Birch Bay Retirement Village.
BAR HARBOR—Last week the board of directors of the Bar Harbor Historical Society let go of the organization’s entire staff.
The staff met with a human resource consultant hired by the board on October 28 when they were officially told the news. Some staff positions ended two days later on October 30. Others will end November 9.
Board President Richard “Dick” Cough (not to be confused with Executive Director Erin Cough) sent an email October 29 to at least some members, thanking them for their past support.
“As we look towards the future, the board of directors has made a proactive business decision to use the coming winter, when La Rochelle is closed for the season, as an opportunity for thoughtful organizational restructuring to strengthen BHHS for the years ahead,” Cough wrote.
Cough’s wife, Heidi Wittwer is the secretary. Tom Testa is the vice president and Laura Johnson, a former employee, is the treasurer.
Cough continued in that October 29 email, “As part of this transition, we made the difficult choice to lay off the current staff. We recognize this is a significant change and we are deeply grateful to them for their service to BHHS.”
None of the staff members asked by the Bar Harbor Story would speak without anonymity. Other staff members have verified any comments by fellow staff members that were made in this article.
“I was completely shocked that all the staff were laid off suddenly at the end of October. To my knowledge, the staff was not brought in on any of the conversations about these layoffs (despite our demonstrable expertise) and the Board of Directors had made this decision unilaterally,” one staff member wrote in an email, November 2. “I had hoped that a kinder or more humane approach would be taken by the board on this matter. The suddenness of the layoffs at Bar Harbor Historical Society will negatively impact my family, especially as we go into the holiday season. There were ways to ‘reduce the burden’ of payroll on the organization without completely gutting the staff. I’m not sure how my family will keep it together for Christmas or how we will afford our heating bill, to be honest.”
That staff member, as well as others, also expressed concern beyond themselves.
“I also worry about the negative impact this will have on the community. Since moving into La Rochelle in late 2019, and especially in the last four years, Bar Harbor Historical Society has been a gathering place for the community and an increasingly important resource for folks on the island and beyond. We had just officially launched an online archive in hopes to help more folks connect with Bar Harbor’s history, and now that can not continue due to staff cuts. Other programming like our plays and events, new exhibits, modern collecting practices, lectures, might very well follow suit and disappear from our community,” they wrote.
The Bar Harbor Historical Society moved from its longtime home on Ledgelawn Avenue to the mansion LaRochelle, which is a 13,000-square-foot Greek revival, that the society had purchased from the Maine Seacoast Mission.
“I know how hard my coworkers and myself had worked at making the history of Bar Harbor accessible to the people of Bar Harbor. I am terrified that without the staff at Bar Harbor Historical Society that door will slam shut again. I’m terrified of what this means for my family, our town, and our shared history,” the staff member wrote in that November 2 email.
Fewer than half of the Bar Harbor Historical Society’s expenses as of its 2024 filings were salaries ($201,748 out of $545,447). The latest filings available are from 2024.
In 2025, in a similar move, the Criterion’s board shut the historic theater’s doors and let go of its staff near the end of the season. In the last ten years that the previous non-profit had owned and operated the theater, it had been running at an average annual deficit of $150,000. The theater is now under entirely different nonprofit ownership.
In an October 30 email to the Bar Harbor Story, Richard Cough wrote, “Of course, the decision to eliminate staff positions was an extremely difficult one, not something that we took lightly. We are a tight knit community and all work very closely together. I have lived in Bar Harbor my whole life and have been involved in this community civically, as a volunteer and a businessman, for many years. This decision was made with concern and consideration. We recognize the very real impact this has on the individuals affected. We have genuine compassion for their situation and we are deeply grateful for their dedication and the many contributions they have made to BHHS over the years. I have, and others have, had sleepless nights over this decision, but we are confident this was the best decision for the organization as we look to the future.”
Staff members also said that during the October 28 meeting, Richard Cough did not have a timeline for future plans nor knew what the future would be for the organization.
Another staff member said Monday that there was no continuity plan about moving forward that had been expressed to them.
“When we asked about if our jobs were at risk because of the board’s concerns over finances, we were assured by multiple board members through the summer and fall that no one would be getting laid off. We wanted to know if we were at risk for getting laid off because with the current costs of living and rather bleak job market, it’s necessary to find new employment fast, and the hiring process takes some time,” the staff member wrote.
That staff member continued, “I think that one of the problems came from the fact that the board frequently prioritized revenue from tourism, which was in contrast to the staff’s desire to do more community programming and make Bar Harbor’s history more accessible. Even with the annual meeting, staff pushed to have members be able to vote online so it could be more accessible to those who couldn’t be at the meeting in person, but the board refused.”
During the winter months, they said, staff has historically closed down the museum, completed projects for exhibits, collections, and programs, as well as preparing for the museum’s spring opening and those programs and exhibits.
“Financial considerations were a major part of the board’s decision to restructure our operations, but this is also about taking a broader look at the organization and how we can best fulfill our mission in the years ahead,” Richard Cough wrote in that October 30 email.
In a staff member’s email to community partners, November 2, they wrote, “There has not been time allotted to fully sort out projects in process so please accept my apology if we have a project or program that I will not move forward on behalf of BHHS.”
The staff member said that it had been an honor and pleasure to work with everyone and lauded the community partners.
“You brought JOY, WONDER, CURIOSITY, and your most valuable assets, your time and attention to the work we were doing to make La Rochelle, Bar Harbor’s Cottage, a collaborative center of culture, history, and community,” they wrote. “You were a part of every successful event/program/exhibit. I have learned from and enjoyed working with each of you immensely. Thank you.”
Cough also wrote in his October 30 email, “As we all know, the tourism industry and the world around us have changed significantly over the years, impacting visitation and how people travel and spend their time. We believe it is incumbent upon us, as a board, to take this opportunity to look carefully at our organizational structure, operations, programming, audiences, and governance — what is working, what isn’t, and what we can do better. As we mark our 80th anniversary, our goal is to build an organization that is resilient, accessible, and sustainable, with an operating model that reflects changing times and serves both BHHS and the community well into the future.”
“We have been entrusted with an extraordinary collection of more than 20,000 objects that tell the story of Bar Harbor and its people, along with La Rochelle, a remarkable Gilded Age mansion and the only one in Bar Harbor open to the public. These are precious resources, and we take our responsibility to preserve, care for, and share them with this generation and future generations very seriously. That responsibility is at the heart of the decisions we are making,” Cough said in the October 30 email.
Staff had stated that the board was concerned about the organization in June but told staff to trust them. Board members allegedly assured the staff that their jobs would be safe and that the board knew what they were doing, yet allegedly refused to answer questions from the staff about organizational policies. Nothing was mentioned at the October annual meeting about staff being dismissed.
Some staff members said that they had worried about board management and adhering to the institution’s bylaws.
“I think that by laying off the staff, the board lost valuable expertise from people who really cared about Bar Harbor’s history and sharing it with the community. My coworkers were passionate about the work they do, and it’s disheartening to see them all lose their jobs abruptly. I’m worried about the future for myself, for my coworkers, and for the organization,” one staff member said Monday.
There were five staff members listed on the website last week as well as a summer employee. The staff listed on the site are no longer there.
“With La Rochelle closed for nearly seven months of the year, the winter months provide an opportunity to step back and thoughtfully review how we operate and plan for the future. Throughout this transition, the Board remains committed to ensuring that La Rochelle, our collections, and the ongoing responsibilities of the organization continue to be properly cared for,” Cough continued in the October 30 email. “As we determine what the new organizational structure and operations will look like in 2027, we will have a better understanding of our future needs, including staffing.”
There is “an incredible amount of volunteers altogether. About 45 volunteers that give 1,756 hours of their time, which is an incredible amount of time. We are a small staff so these volunteer hours are very, very helpful to us,” Executive Director Erin Cough said during the annual meeting in mid-October.
The society hosted at least 25 events in 2026. Some were workshops. Some were dramatic readings. Some featured the Bar Harbor Music Festival. Some were retreats that latest multiple days. Some were free events for the community. At least 500 people have attended those events so far this year.
The BHHS also partnered with the Land and Garden Preserve, having the honor of being the only organization that can host classes at its sites. It helped with research requests, partnered with 25 other local organizations, and also raised money and donations both monetary and in-kind.
The society has also expanded and redesigned its website and expanded its social media presence across multiple channels.
Though expenses in 2026 were lower than in 2025, the revenue also decreased, which necessitated the organization taking money out of its reserve decreasing that from $481,900 in 2025 to $330,000 in 2026.
In-kind donations, sponsorships, other donations of work and food to the historical society this past year totaled roughly $116,000.
Both revenues and expenses had also decreased in 2026. However, the fiscal calendar for the organization had changed this year, which makes year-to-year comparisons difficult. November is also traditionally a month for nonprofits to have membership drives and fundraising during “giving weeks.”
At the annual meeting earlier this month, Erin Cough had said the Society currently has just over 300 members and had a goal of 500.
“Our mission to preserve and share Bar Harbor’s history remains deeply at the heart of everything we do. We are looking ahead with optimism and look forward to welcoming our community back to La Rochelle in the spring and beginning this next chapter together,” Richard Cough said in the October 30 email.
“From a small room under the stairs of the Jesup Memorial Library to a 13,000 square foot three-story cottage that houses over 20,000 historical artifacts, the Bar Harbor Historical Society has certainly seen big changes in our 80 years of operation,” its website states.
The society’s website was malfunctioning last week, which is part of a PHP attack that happened globally. That has now been fixed.
ABOUT LA ROCHELLE VIA THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
La Rochelle was built in 1903 and is the largest estate built along the shore of West Street in Bar Harbor. The architects were Andrews, Jaques & Rantoul – the estate was built for George Sullivan Bowdoin and Julia Grinnell Bowdoin. The home was one of the first to be made of brick since there was no brick factory on Mount Desert Island. The forty-one room, 13,000 square foot lavish chateaux had twenty bedrooms and ten full bathrooms on two acres of land. The home contributes to the historic character of the West Street Historic District which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mr. Bowdoin was a partner and Treasurer of J.P. Morgan and his father had been a partner in the firm years before. His great grandfather founded Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine in 1794. He was the great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton and the 4x great-grandson of Huguenot Pierre Baudouin who arrived in the province of Maine in 1686 before moving to Boston. Other prominent ancestors include John Winthrop, Thomas Dudley, and Pierre Schuyler. Mrs. Bowdoin’s father was Moses Grinnell and on her mother’s side, she was related to Washington Irving of Sleepy Hollow, New York.
Before arriving in America, the Baudouins lived in La Rochelle, a seaport in Nouvelle, Aquitaine, France (hence the name of the estate, La Rochelle and New Rochelle in New York). The translation of “La Rochelle” means “little rocks”. The Baudouins fled their country to find relief from religious persecution. (The Huguenots were French Protestants.)
In early 1943, the Coughs purchased La Rochelle and the caretaker’s cottage across the street where Bun Cough, his wife Helen, and their four children resided until shortly after the Fire of 1947.
Then in 1944, Ethel Dorrance Colket and Tristram Colket of Philadelphia acquired La Rochelle from the Cough family. Mrs. Colket was the daughter of John Thompson Dorrance, a chemist who invented condensed soup and eventually became president of the Campbell Soup Company. Tristram Jr. and Ruth Colket gave the property to the Maine Seacoast Mission in 1972 and it served as their headquarters for the next forty-seven years.
Finally, in 2019, the Bar Harbor Historical Society purchased the estate in order to preserve the building and grounds for future generations and to present the history of Bar Harbor, displaying its rich collection of historic objects and archives.
DISCLOSURE: One of the former staff members at the BHHS is one of our daughters. The BHHS has been a sponsor of the Bar Harbor Story. We were also involved in a project with the BHHS for a storytelling festival that would have happened next year. Also, I assisted the society (for free) with a couple press releases in 2025 or 2024. I apologize for not remembering the year.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
BH Historical Society’s tax documents
BH Historical Society’s website
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