Alessandro Fabbri (1877–1922) was both the builder and the commanding officer of the

Otter Cliffs Radio Station U.S. Naval Radio Station Otter Cliffs was a United States Navy radio receiver facility located in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, south of Bar Harbor, Maine. The station was commissioned on August 28, 1917, under the command of Lt. ...

, a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

facility that was important during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

for exceptionally meritorious service. Before the US entered the war, the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' reported that Alessandro and his brother Ernesto Giuseppi Fabbri Jr. were under investigation by the US government, suspected of using radio equipment to assist German spies. Upon publication of a vigorous response from Ernesto, the Times clarified that the government had been investigating radio operators in general, not targeting the Fabbris specifically. Alessandro's brother Ernesto and uncle were associate and partner respectively of J.P. Morgan & Co. Ernesto Jr. and family owned the

Bar Harbor Bar Harbor is a resort town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population is 5,089. During the summer and fall seasons, it is a popular tourist destination and, until a catastrophic fire i ...

"cottage" Buonriposo. Alessandro Fabbri was remembered as a scientist who also "achieved distinction as a naturalist, hunter, yachtsman, explorer and inventor."

Fabbri Memorial

The heavily travelled loop road of

Acadia National Park Acadia National Park is an American national park located along the mid-section of the Maine coast, southwest of Bar Harbor. The park preserves about half of Mount Desert Island, part of the Isle au Haut, the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula, and ...

passes between a small memorial to Fabbri and a picnic area that bears his name, at or near the former site of the radio station. The inscription reads:

In memory of Alessandro Fabbri, 1877–1922, Lieutenant U.S.N.R.F. A resident and lover of Mount Desert Island who commanded the United States naval radio station upon this site from its establishment on August 28, 1917 until December 12, 1919. At the end of the world war he was awarded the Navy Cross. His citation stated that under his direction the station became "the most important and the most efficient station in the world." This tablet is erected by his friends and fellow townsmen in testimony to his patriotic service, high character and endearing qualities. 1939

File:Fabbri sign.jpg, alt=Road sign indicating Fabbri Memorial and Fabbri Picnic Area are ahead on opposite sides of the road., Loop Road approach to Fabbri Memorial and Fabbri Picnic Area. File:Fabbri Memorial.jpg, alt=A placque affixed to a mound of granite., Fabbri Memorial overlooking Otter Cove.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fabbri, Alessandro 1877 births 1922 deaths People from Mount Desert Island People from Manhattan United States Navy personnel of World War I Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Scientists from New York City Deaths from pneumonia in New York City