Eastport's breakwater anchorage. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Eastport turns down Russian ship request

When a cargo ship en route to Montreal from Russia with 8,000 tons of petroleum product recently found itself in need of some short-term parking, the shippers involved contacted Washington County's Eastport Port Authority. The North Atlantic's deepest ports include Eastport's cargo terminal and downtown breakwater dock, which in June… SEE MORE

The offices of Deering Lumber in the Lafayette House today. PHOTO: COURTESY KYLE H. NOBLE

Working Waterfront

Biddeford’s Lafayette House dates to 1798

We published a 1936 photo of Biddeford’s Lafayette House, shot by Dominic Avanzato, in our December/January issue, and asked readers if the building were still standing. Here are some of the responses we received: “I can say with certainty that the Lafayette House still exists as the office for Deering… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Our readers write: Street people, pinch-hitting, and Mueller

Street people thoughts To the editor: I just wanted to thank you and all the other writers (Cranberry Report columnist Barb Fernald is a friend) for your continued hard work on The Working Waterfront. I just finished reading your Rock Bound column, "Who do we want to see on our… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A Maine island take on Candlemas

On Feb. 2, many Americans look to Pennsylvania to see if the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil emerges to see his shadow or not. If he does, it means there are six more weeks of winter. Folks, on Feb. 2, there will be six more weeks of winter no matter what. Some… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A wintry slice of island life

It’s the afternoon of Jan. 6 and I’m in my studio on Little Cranberry Island, wondering if I have an island tale to tell on the day before my deadline. I usually have some idea by now, but not this week. I would have started writing this morning but I… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A different kind of book in gestation

In 2014 I had a baby, and in 2019 I wrote a song about it. It’s called “Tear Me in Two,” referring not just to the physical act of childbirth, but of the feeling I had as a new parent of this second person, an extension of myself and also… SEE MORE

Children pose in front of Waterman's peace sign.

Working Waterfront

Giving North Haven the peace sign

Editor’s note: The following first appeared in Waterman’s Community Center fall newsletter, and is reproduced here, with permission, because it offers insight into how island communities negotiate change… even small changes. In the 1960s, Waterman & Co. general store was at the height of its activity. Franklin Waterman was the… SEE MORE

A fishing boat in Rockland Harbor. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Lobster harvest sets dollar record

Recently updated data from the Maine Department of Marine Resources shows 2021 as the most valuable year in the history of Maine's lobster fishery. At $724,949,426, the landed value for the iconic fishery jumped by 75 percent over 2020, by far the single largest increase in value, year over year.… SEE MORE

A view from Shackford Head in Eastport. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Staying on the path in Eastport

Reflections is written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. The trails at Shackford Head State Park in Eastport can be confusing. With stunning views of Cobscook Bay, the park… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

In Plain Sight—An earlier island quarantine

While the experience of quarantining is new to many of us, this is hardly the first time it’s been used to control the spread of disease. The large brick building in the photograph was constructed by the U.S. Navy on Widow’s Island in Penobscot Bay in 1885 as a hospital… SEE MORE