The steam ferry Union on the Bath waterfront, circa 1890. PHOTO: COURTESY MAINE MARITIME MUSEUM

Working Waterfront

Before bridges: River crossings relied on ferries

Once a primary mode of transportation for many Mainers, ferries are more often a fun excursion than a necessity, at least for those who live and work on the mainland. Yet for over a century, such vessels transformed life along Maine coastal and inland waters, enabling commerce, travel, and recreation… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Affordable housing—from ‘they’ to ‘we’

An outsider might be baffled by Maine’s housing statistics. Some 70 percent of us own our own homes. Yet according to MaineHousing Director Dan Brennan, housing is now at “crisis levels we’ve never seen before.” Brennan spoke at MaineHousing’s Oct. 20 conference, which the state agency hosts every other year.… SEE MORE

The Brooks family; from left: Mark, Sally, Julie, and Stephen. FILE PHOTO: JULIA NEMY

Working Waterfront

Worker shortage impacting lobster fishery

You see the signs everywhere: “Help Wanted” or “Hiring Now.” Businesses in every sector of Maine’s economy have found it difficult to hire the number and type of workers they need. The problem has become acute in the businesses that supply lobstermen with their traps and other equipment. “Sadly, we’ve… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The island approach to medicine

In 1954, crying and clinging to my Dad’s hand with my good arm, I was brought to Dr. Ralph Earle’s office. He walked quickly toward me but then turned and whispered to Dot, his receptionist. She got up, grabbed her hat and left. Then he walked me, still sobbing and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

In praise of the amazing bean

Each year, drying beans ripen in the garden to provide a winter’s worth of baked beans, bean soup, or even refried beans. Traditional Maine varieties like Marfax, Tiger’s Eye, and Jacobs Cattle join Back Coco, Pintos, and Silver Cloud Cannellini. Once dried enough in the barn that the pods snap… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Challenges with a purpose is island life

A newcomer to the island, upon hearing about some of the inconveniences and stressors of island life, asked me, in all seriousness, “So why do you stay?” There are times when I ask myself the same question. Like on a dark, rolling December ferry ride, shivering in my car (because… SEE MORE

Stonington harbor. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Lobstermen’s Association sues over whale rules

The Maine Lobstermen’s Association filed a lawsuit in early September against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Secretary of Commerce in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the federal government’s ten‐year whale protection plan. The suit claims the plan will all but eliminate the… SEE MORE

The Union Congregational Church on Isle au Haut. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

An island church history

The Union Congregational Church on Isle au Haut was founded in 1857 and built by island residents on a hill overlooking the village and thoroughfare. The Rev. Joshua Eaton was the first pastor, and there were seven original members, five of them named Turner. [caption id="attachment_28835" align="alignleft" width="400"] The Union… SEE MORE

Ted Hoskins, who served for many years as minister on Isle au Haut, supervises children ringing the church bell. PHOTO: COURTESY PAUL LEWIS

Working Waterfront

A Ted talk—Isle au Haut’s long-time minister Ted Hoskins on island history

What follows is an excerpt from an interview conducted, recorded, and transcribed by Kris Carlson-Lewis of Ted Hoskins at the Isle au Haut Parsonage on Aug. 22, 2012. It first appeared in a recent issue of the Isle au Haut Historical Society’s newsletter. It has been edited for length and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The Maine coast, 50 years ago

Thanks to the Farnsworth Art Museum for use of these photos shot by George Tice in several Maine coastal towns in 1971. [caption id="attachment_28820" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Bertram Peabody and son clam digging on Beals Island, 1971.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_28821" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Painted lobster buoys, Stonington, 1971.[/caption] [caption… SEE MORE