The church on Isle au Haut as seen across the thoroughfare.

Working Waterfront

Isle au Haut church faces crossroads

By Bob Gerber Isle au Haut’s Union Congregational Church occupies a prominent hilltop overlooking the thoroughfare between Kimball Island and the village at the island’s north end. It was built in 1857 at a cost of $1,649 during a period of fervent evangelistic efforts to bring organized religion to island community… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Music is community… again

The dilemma of the music teacher is that sometimes there aren’t enough hours in the day for the music teacher to also play music. Of course, it’s what we love to do. Music teachers began as music students, playing in recitals and sighing our way through Hanon exercises and scales… SEE MORE

The view from a drone of the Southern Harbor House on North Haven.

Working Waterfront

A vision for our elders comes to fruition

Here’s an idea that most would agree with—our elders should be able to age in place. But making this happen on an island or in a remote community is an altogether more difficult challenge than it is where I grew up on the east side of Cleveland. My Grandpa Frank… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The Monhegan Museum at 50

Five years ago Monhegan marked the 400th anniversary—the quatercentenary—of English explorer Captain John Smith’s visit to the island. This year the island celebrates another milestone, one of shorter duration but no less worthy of commemoration: the Monhegan Museum of Art and History’s half-century mark. The star of anniversary events is the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

‘We Belong Here’ a gift to North Haven

WILLIAM TREVASKIS Charlie Pingree Twenty-three year old Leta Hallowell has been a North Havener since birth. She graduated from North Haven Community School in 2012, studied at Duke University, and taught English in France before returning to her island home. “It’s given me so much, my education, so much of… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The cold comfort of summer food

It’s hot and I think differently about cooking and food when the weather turns stuffy and warm. I want cold comfort. Oddly, lately, I have thought about childhood summers and the food we ate and cold things we drank. Like potato salad, just bite-sized bits of boiled potato with bits… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Gardening as a way of putting down community roots

Eight years ago, as a symbol of our intention to stay on North Haven indefinitely, I bought apple trees and asparagus crowns for Bill as a Chanukah present. I gave him a drawing of the plants then, and in April, a package arrived from Fedco. Two tiny whips with root-balls… SEE MORE

Bruce Fernald prepares to unload his boat

Working Waterfront

When chefs and lobstermen meet, live

Anyone around Little Cranberry Island would say my husband Bruce, a lobster fisherman, has a knack for getting involved in some very interesting media situations. (See “One lobsterman’s 15 minutes of fame” at workingwaterfrontarchives.org.) Friends joke that he likes attention from the press, but lately most of the situations have revolved… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Islands in the woods, islands in the water

Reflections is written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in remote coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront “An Island Fellow? Well, then how did you end up here in Millinocket?” I hear this question less frequently now… SEE MORE

Teacher Kathryn Meyer and student Zack Harvey hold a big lobster.

Working Waterfront

Students, teachers travel to PEI to compare fishing notes

PHOTO: VAL PEACOCK Zack Harvey of Swan's Island at sunrise on a boat. By Val Peacock The annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport offers opportunities for networking among those in the business. This year, a chance encounter with a Prince Edward Island lobsterman at the gathering led to a trip… SEE MORE