Hermit Island, Phippsburg ME

*I would first like to note, any and all pictures in this blog can be enlarged by clicking on them.



Hello all, lets all come together again here at the blog cabin located for this entry on a little island off the coast of Southern Maine, Hermit Island. I got the chance to camp overnight with my co-workers from Flatbread Pizza Co. on the shores of the beautiful little island and come full circle with the true Mainer inside me. It was a wonderful time, and I have to thank Libby for letting me miss class to attend this camping trip. Thank you Libby.

Hermit Island, Phippsburg ME
Visited October 5, 2009

Hermit Island is about an hours drive north from down town Portland on 295 . The drive itself was a wonderful reminder of all the colors that Maine has to offer in the fall months. The island is completely accessible by car and each campsite has parking spots for vehicles. You first arrive at a small building containing the front desk and information. We were instantly greeted, given a map of the island and directions to our campsite. After driving through hilly and forested dirt roads for 10 minutes or so we found the site which had numerous picnic tables and a sea grass covered path leading to a beach. The views from the beach were the equivalent of thumbing through a dozen Maine postcards at the Portland Jetport, except sand was actually beneath my feet. Jaw-dropping beauty with every turn of the head.

There were many other islands scattered out across the horizon with one or two breaks in the land allowing for a glimpse at the vast Atlantic. True to name the coast was indeed rocky which allowed for extended views from the beach. On the beach itself we were allowed to dig a fire pit which in the spirit of all things Maine we used for a good ol' Maine lobster bake with corn, potatoes and lobsters(caught off the Maine coast by a gentleman who was friends of my manager and who was actually there with us), all steamed in sea weed over hot rocks for over an hour. The experience was a bold sampling of many staples of Maine culture directly into all of my senses. It was truly a wonderful visit, ayuh.
Lobsters awaiting the deadly steam.
Walking paths

A few of my co-workers sailed from Portland to the campsite.
Good times for all.


B. Historical Significance.

Sam Shupe
Libby Bischof
HTY 360
October 24, 2009

Hermit Island, Phippsburg Me

The coastal islands of Maine share a unique history of inhabitants due to their accessible and convenient locations by the sea. Natives had visited many of them frequently for thousands of years before Europeans came to Maine and began taking advantage of the rocky coast. Hermit Island provides yet another backdrop for a historically colorful island, loved and defended by the people who have called it home. It is currently a well-maintained campground open for the public to spend time and camp on its beautiful shores.

In the late 17th century Hermit Island housed a trading post for a man named Francis Small. Small had chosen a smart location off the coast of Maine to fish and trade. The Hermit Island Campground website describes, “Apparently our first settler lived a long and successful life, narrowly escaping death at the hands of attacking Indians”. The work and life of Francis Small is preserved and maintained through the islands harbor being named after him and there is also a conservation effort named after him called the Francis Small Heritage Trust, Inc. The trust focuses on preserving land that Small acquired from Natives including, “Limington, Limerick, Cornish (formerly named Francisborough), Newfield, and Parsonsfield.”

Through the 1700’s Hermit Island became an increasingly busy fishing and trade location with fortifications and buildings being built to accommodate the influx of people and business. The Island’s website explains, “A stone fort was built ‘by the ingenious Dr. Belcher Noyes, at his own charge,’ who also "undertook a Fishery, sufficient to employ twenty vessels at a time. This fishing venture was subsidized by bounty paid by the King of England and Bounty Cove Beach on Hermit Island thus acquired its name.” However just as in other parts of the new colonies, trade was consistently interrupted by poor treatment and misunderstandings with Natives, and the forts were often attacked and burned.

Hermit Island is an important place for Maine because it encompasses a large piece of the journey that Maine has taken. Through conflicts with Natives, productive fishing, trade, natural resources such as trees for lumber, and now tourism via camping in this case, Hermit Island has become a representation of Maine’s growth and history. It’s vibrant histories and stories are only rivaled by its natural beauty and small glimpse into the vast rocky shores of Maine.




Sources:
http://www.hermitisland.com/historyandnature.html
Accessed and retrieved: October 26, 2009

http://www.fsht.org/sandy.html
Accessed and retrieved: October 27, 2009