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Down East

Swan's Island

Swan’s Island may be reached via a 40-minute ferry ride from Bass Harbor on Mount Desert Island, multiple times a day, throughout the year.  Approximately 350 people live on Swan’s year-round, and the resident population rises to 1,000 or more in the summer.

Our People

Some of our talented people working in this area.

Meghan Vigeant
Meghan Vigeant
Swan’s Island Historical Preservation Fellow
 

Galleries

Click on a thumbnail to view the entire gallery.

New Pages - Swan\'s Island Historical Society & Library fundraiser.New Pages - Swan\'s Island Historical Society & Library fundraiser.New Pages - Swan\'s Island Historical Society & Library fundraiser.

Carrie and Grant boat off Swan's Island, Maine

The island’s grammar school serves children from kindergarten through eighth grade, and a separate pre-school serves younger children.  Some Island students are home-schooled.

Swan’s Island is primarily supported by lobster fishing, although residents also earn livelihoods and/or supplement their incomes by doing construction work, commuting to jobs on the mainland, or caretaking for seasonal properties. 

Swan’s Island residents are pleased to have a new store that offers a healthy selection of staples during regular weekly hours, with sandwiches on Fridays only.

The historical society has a link from the town website that shows genealogy, artifacts and historical pictures, and a museum display is kept at the library.  Another museum is the Lobster and Marine Museum. 

The Town Office and Post Office are housed in the same building (recently renovated!) and offer services Monday through Friday. 

The Millpond Park Health Clinic opened in 2008, hosting mainland doctors who come and serve patients.

Swan’s Island has begun investigating wind power as the means to stabilize or alleviate high electricity costs. http://www.swansisland.org/windpower/

Swan's Island Library Fund

The Town Office website is quite helpful: www.swansisland.org

 

Publications & Resources

 
small document icon 2010 Island Journal - Volume 26
small document icon An Analysis of the Recent Economic History of Maine’s Island Communities
small document icon Island Institute 2008 Annual Report
 Most Recent Maine Commercial Landings (2007)
 Maine Housing Coalition Reports
 IT Across the Nation Webcast -- CREST & Urban Ecology Institute
 Swan's Island Web Site
 Swan's Island Library
 Swan's Island made products - Archipelago products
 Island Legislators
PDF Island Scholars Student Newsletter #1 (PDF, 173 KB)
PDF Island Scholars Parent Newsletter #1 (PDF, 161 KB)
PDF Island Scholars Student Newsletter #2 (PDF, 176 KB)
PDF Island Scholars Parent Newsletter #2 (PDF, 102 KB)
PDF Island Scholars Student Newsletter #3 (PDF, 183 KB)
PDF Island Scholars Parent Newsletter #3 (PDF, 113 KB)
PDF Island Scholars Student Newsletter #4 (PDF, 183 KB)
PDF Island Scholars Parent Newsletter #4 (PDF, 182 KB)
PDF Island Scholars Student Newsletter #5 (PDF, 141 KB)
PDF Island Scholars Parent Newsletter #5 (PDF, 382 KB)
PDF Island Scholars Parent Newsletter #6 (PDF, 171 KB)
PDF Island Scholars Student Newsletter #7 (PDF, 133 KB)
PDF 2009 Island Fellows Report (PDF, 1 MB)
PDF 2010 Island Institute Scholarship Fund Application (PDF, 105 KB)
PDF Island Scholars Student Newsletter #6 (PDF, 155 KB)
PDF Community Sustainability in the Islands of Maine (PDF, 85 KB)
PDF Island Scholars Student Newsletter #8 (PDF, 184 KB)
PDF Island School Newsletter #2 (PDF, 590 KB)
PDF Island School Newsletter #1 (PDF, 301 KB)
PDF Island Scholars Network Scholarship Brochure 2009 (PDF, 144 KB)
Google Earth File Island Tour (Google Earth is required to view this file) (KMZ, 3 MB)
 

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