Islesford Historical Society 2001

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2001 Summer Letter to Members

Islesford, ME 04646
June 2001

Dear Members and Friends:

It was a tough winter for the families that remained on Islesford.  The snow was deep and it was cold but not quite as cold as in 1923 when men walked to Seal Harbor to get the mail.  This winter there were power outages that lasted several days and, separately, phones were out for a couple of days.  Those with stoves burning wood or bottled gas invited in their neighbors.  The gas range at the Neighborhood House served as a community kitchen.  Generators were moved from house to house to supply power for refrigerators and freezers.

But now summer has arrived and it's time for the Annual Meeting of your Historical Society which will be at the Neighborhood House at 7:30 PM on Monday, July 16th.  Following a short business meeting, Jeff Dobbs will talk about the film he is making that deals with Islesford history. As you may know, Dobbs has been working with Phil Bowditch on this project for some time.  This will be a very interesting presentation.  Light refreshments will follow.

During the winter, Gail Grandgent and Bradley and Barbara Bryant managed to get the rust cleaned from some of master builder A.J. Bryant's tools that were given to us last year by Nelson Bryant.  Brook Childrey, curator at Acadia National Park, supervised the work.  It is hard to imagine that the church and many of the summer cottages on the island were built with these simple saws, planes and bits.  We'll display some of them at our meeting.

Last year some of us visited with the Pierces on Sutton Island and the year before we visited the Dunbars on Bear Island.  So what about something a bit different on Baker Island this year?

We have been invited to join a dance group that is going to Baker Island to visit the dance rocks on July 15th.  I will go along to talk a bit about the Gilleys and Stanleys and how they lived on Baker from about 1806 to 1929.  I'm not likely to do much dancing and you wouldn't need to either.

The visit to Baker is being organized by one Abbie McMillan, 21 Carver Field Road, Harborside, ME 04642.  Her E-mail address is downeastdance@acadia.net  Abbie's group will leave from Southwest Harbor at 11:45 sharp.  Cost will range between $10.00 and a maximum of $20.  They will either pick us up or, if there are enough from Islesford, we'll arrange our own transportation.  Please sign up with me (207-244-7893) promptly if you want to come along.  Bring a lunch.

We sold all of our A History of Little Cranberry Island last summer and so we have a second printing.  Again as last year, copies will be on sale at the meeting only for a special price of $18 each.

During the winter, I edited a new publication titled Views from the Sandbeach.  Publication costs for this one were paid by the Islesford Scholarship Fund and it is on sale for $10 per copy to benefit the Fund.

IT'S DUES TIME FOR 2001/2002!  Dues are still only $8 per individual and $10 per family.  If you can't attend the meeting, please send your dues.  If you order a copy of Views from the Sandbeach, please enclose a seperate check for $10 made out to the Islesford Scholarship Fund.

One final note.  At noon on Tuesday, July 17th, Dale Hadlock will dedicate the little park on the Sandbeach in memory of his father and in honor of the fleet of Hadlock-owned vessels that called Islesford home port from 1803 up to the present.  There will be refreshments and all are invited to attend.

A happy summer to all and we hope to see you at the meeting, on the dance rocks, and at the Sandbeach!  Thanks for your ongoing support.

Sincerely,
Hugh L. Dwelley, President

2001 Publications

• Views from the Sandbeach ($10) is a brand new compilation of two papers and one short passage by three people whose lives were touched by Islesford.  Published by the Islesford Scholarship fund, with foreword, introductory notes, and editing by Hugh Dwelley.

• A History of Little Cranberry Island, Maine, by Hugh Dwelley ($20), has reached second printing!  The latest edition has a new Addendum, as well as several additional new pictures.

• God's Pocket, by Rachel Field ($26) , the jointly-sponsored reprint, has been available for two years and demand is still high.

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