An existing Navy listening station at Otter Cliffs on Mount Desert Island, built in 1917, became an obstacle to the Park Loop Road being planned by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Mr. Rockefeller persuaded the Navy to relocate to Schoodic Point.
The purposes and uses of the listening station varied over the years, and the technologies evolved. When the Navy closed the base in 2002, it was a major economic blow to the community. It left vacant housing in town, and dramatically reduced the school population. An in-depth collection of history, photographs, and remembrances from the base are also available online.
Here’s a 2019 presentation about the base presented by Dale Woodward of Gouldsboro, Maine, who worked at the base for 28 years:
And from Northeast Historic Film, a 1967 film on the 50th anniversary of the base. It features two personnel from the early years at Otter Cliffs, the Commander from 1967, and aerial and ground footage of the base at Schoodic Point in 1967 (aerial footage starts at 6:56).