Detail-rich historic atlases are reprinted Mapmaking was a high art and a big business in the 19th century, when cartographers and publishing companies all over the United States combined forces to produce handsomely printed atlases of cities, counties and states. Maine was no exception, and atlases of each of the state’s 16 counties made their
Frenchboro approves ferry rate change, defeats road ordinance
In a swift and nearly unanimous town meeting held June 26, Frenchboro voters approved almost every article on the town warrant in a two-hour session. In mostly uncontested races, the town elected new and returning officials to town offices. The largest expenditure for the town will be the school budget for 2006-2007, to accommodate the
Grants available to protect Maine’s working waterfronts
The $12 million bond for the Land for Maine’s Future Program passed last November included a $2 million set-aside for projects that protect strategically significant working waterfront properties. Increasing demand for coastal waterfront land, rising land values and property taxes have made it difficult for commercial fishing businesses to retain working access to the water.
An Inconvenient Truth
Rodale, Erasmus, PA. 2006. 327 pp. $21.95 An Inconvenient Truth – starring Al Gore. This has to be a first: if you can think of another book and movie that have appeared simultaneously from a major American political figure just before the long presidential selection process starts in earnest, you have a better memory than
Quiet Adventurers How the Isle au Haut Electric Power Company became a community force
In 1968, the year-round population of Isle au Haut had dwindled from a historic high of 300 to 17. Those who stayed through the winters relied on wood stoves, outhouses, kerosene lamps and iceboxes; they pumped their own water, and made their own electricity with sputtering, unreliable generators. Then, a man named Patrick Tully led
Curious about the waterfront? Take a tour!
As a private tour guide in Portland, Angela Clark’s one-woman Working Waterfront Tours promise behind-the-scenes glimpses of Portland’s marine-dependent businesses. On a hot summer’s morning, the dead fish and live lobsters were definitely the highlights of a one-hour tour for 14 campers, ages 5 to 12, from the Portland Center for Cultural Exchange. While every
What’s Left Lobster
When last reported on, lobsterman Dickie Hildings of Vinalhaven was notable for several reasons: he’d been Vinalhaven’s “Mr.May” in the 2001 Bachelor Lobstermen calendar; he had a premier reputation for lobstering and he was winning a lot of boat races up and down the coast. All of that, in the competitive world of fishermen, counts
Island Saltwater Farms: Farming on Vinalhaven 1820-1960
Remembering the Farm-Sea Connection Vinalhaven Historical Society, 2006. 79 pages $20.00, vhhissoc@midcoast.com I was first introduced to the turning of the tides of a saltwater farm through the verse of Robert P. T. Coffin’s work Saltwater Farm, combined with my own personal upbringing on a small New Hampshire sheep farm where we sold lambs, wool,
North Haven graduate wins $5,000 scholarship
The winner of the $5,000 2006 Maine Island Partners Scholarship is Benjamin Lovell of North Haven. He is a senior at North Haven Community School. The scholarship is awarded to an individual who combines civic leadership, community involvement and academic achievement. Lovell is an outstanding scholar who has taken a lead role in North Haven’s
Canadian legislator proposes new ferry to ease border crossing
Except during summer months the only way Campobello residents can travel to the rest of Canada is through the United States. After 911, such travel became difficult at best. With heightened American border security concerns, it has become even more difficult. From the end of June to roughly Labor Day, direct travel from Campobello to