Edna St. Vincent Millay Plaque on Mt. Battie

All I could see from where I stood / Was three long mountains and a wood; / I turned and looked the other way, / And saw three islands in a bay.

So starts Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poem Renascence, and so reads the plaque at the top of Mt. Battie in Camden. As you read the lines on the rock, you can look out over the vista into Penobscot Bay and see what inspired Millay’s words. 

The spot is peaceful, though you may find it crowded during popular tourist times - and with the auto road you’re not far from cars. But it’s a beautiful spot to admire Maine’s coast from above while reading the hometown poet’s words. 

Though she spent much of her life outside of Maine, her formative years were spent in this area in Maine’s Knox County. She was only 20 when Renascence was published, gaining fame for both herself and Mt. Battie. 

Millay’s talents attracted the attention of a beneficiary who gave her a scholarship to Vassar. From there, she lived an exciting life in Greenwich Village until marrying and moving to a farm in Austerlitz, New York. 

Her writing continued long after her debut poem and earned her The Frost Medal. 

If you’d like to visit this Maine Literary Location and see the beauty that inspired Millay for yourself, it’s well worth the trip. The colors in the fall are beautiful, but the view is worth it in any season. 

The hike to the summit of Mt. Battie is relatively easy, but you can also drive up the auto road or walk up the paved road for a bit of exercise that’s not quite a hike.