In April 1795 a vote was passed that the town should be divided. The selectmen were instructed to draw a line dividing the town. On February 22, 1796 the legislature of Massachusetts passed an act dividing the town of Mount Desert into two towns and incorporating Eden as a separate town.
The first church was started in 1792. It is unclear where the church services were held. The building for the church was built in 1883 and still stands today. The early records from the church help give a picture of what life was like for those early settlers. Over the years numerous churches were built on MDI.
In 1837 the town of Mt. Desert was again divided when Tremont was incorporated as a town. The final division was in 1905 when Southwest Harbor was separated from Tremont and was incorporated as a town. Each of the four towns on MDI has numerous small villages within the town boundaries.