Articles
Swan’s Island’s ambivalence on the Civil War
To celebrate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, I’ve poked around in the vaults to bring you the Swan’s Island story. The Maine Historical Society is a great source of information for anyone who wants a comprehensive historical account. The rest of you will just have to trust my simplified version, I guess! Economically, Swan’s
Graduation sometimes an end to island life
We’re nearing the end of graduation season, a time when people think back on their youth with longing and/or embarrassment and wonder what on earth they’re going to do with the extra cake and balloons. I attended the Swan’s Island School’s eighth grade graduation this year—an event which did not exist in my own school
Dirty laundry on Swan’s Island
Time to talk about Swan’s Island’s dirty laundry! This isn’t knitting group gossip; I mean that literally. As a member of a generation with notoriously poor housekeeping skills (or is it just me?), I’m pretty proud when I get my laundry attached to the line securely enough to keep the sea breeze from lifting it
Island ghosts, zombies and scaring oneself silly
Everyone has at least a couple moments in life when they realize they are doing exactly the sort of thing which, if done by a movie character, would make you think “Oh man, they’re about to die.” I live alone on an island in Maine. Red flag! But don’t worry; it’s fine. This is just
Islanders enjoyed, and still enjoy, kicking up their heels
Contra dance is a traditional New England-based dance accompanied by fiddle music. These days you can find it all across the country. It branched off from the same source as square dancing, so you hear things like “do-si-do” and “swing your partner,” which may be familiar from embarrassing gym classes. When I first came out
Island gardens–veggies among the deer and rocks
My typing fingers are ringed with dirt after the first gardening day of the year. Island gardens aren’t that different from what I’m used to—apart from the layer of seaweed I spread last fall and the mussel shells that inexplicably keep rising to the surface. I’m also not used to having to keep all plants
The summer people: ‘It’s different now’
Looking out at the budding leaves and the boats in the harbor (sorry, couldn’t help rubbing it in), there’s a summer feel in the air. Sue Wheaton tackled my lawn a couple days ago, shaking her weed-whacker in the air and warning me to stay out of her way. Like many coastal Maine communities, Swan’s
Boats and islands go together like… islands and boats
One surprising fact about island life is that there are generally boats involved. I know as much about them as you could fit in a bathtub tugboat toy, but you pick up a few things by hanging around. One joke I’ve heard out here is about the tourist who looks at the lobster fleet moored
Changing times, changing landscapes
I got thinking about changing landscapes after a night spent going over old photos. Kevin Johnson of the Penobscot Marine Museum of Searsport came out to share glass slides of Swan’s Island made in the period from the 1910s to the 1940s. The Eastern Illustrating and Publishing Company traveled through rural New England and New
Lobstering links island’s past and present
Confession time: I grew up five hours from the nearest ocean. Apart from a wonderful semester with the Williams Mystic program studying intertidal organisms, Moby Dick and coastal property disputes, I didn’t know much about the sea. I certainly didn’t know I’d be moving to the middle of it. In my hometown, nobody thinks about