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 Swan’s Island Historical Preservation Fellow |

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/
The Town Office website is quite helpful: www.swansisland.org
News |
| Jan 08, 2010 | | Interested in island farming? |
| Dec 15, 2009 | | 2009 Island Fellows Report now available! |
| Dec 15, 2009 | | Island Institute Receives USDA Distance-Learning Grant |
Publications & Resources |
Multimedia |
| Congresswoman Chellie Pingree The Importance of Working Waterfronts | |
| Bridging Culture, Community & Science Inside ITEST Summit |



