Damariscove Island facts for kids

Damariscove is an island that no one lives on today. It's part of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, United States. The island is about 5 nautical miles (9 km) off the coast, near the mouth of the Damariscotta River. It's a long, narrow island, about 2 miles (3 km) long and 1,500 feet (457 m) wide at its widest part. In the past, Damariscove was a busy fishing spot and even had a Coast Guard life-saving station.

Island History: Early Days

The first people to live on Damariscove Island were the Abenaki Native Americans. They called the island Aquahega, which means "place of landing."

Fishing Settlement Begins

As early as 1604, people started using the island for commercial fishing. Important people like Francis Popham sent fishing boats there every year. In 1614, Captain John Smith visited and mapped the island, calling it "Damerils Iles." This name probably came from Humphrey Damerill. He had been part of the failed Popham Colony but moved to Damariscove in 1608. He opened a store to supply the growing fishing community.

By 1622, Damariscove was home to 13 fishermen who lived there all year. They had two small boats called shallops in the winter. In the spring, up to 30 sailing ships would come to fish in the waters nearby. The fishermen even built a fort with a wooden fence (a palisade) and a mounted gun for protection.

Helping the Pilgrims

In the spring of 1622, the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony were running out of food and facing starvation. They sent a boat to Damariscove to ask for help. The fishermen on the island were very kind. They filled the Pilgrims' boat with cod fish. This help was very important and saved the Pilgrims from starving.

Becoming Part of Massachusetts

Damariscove became a busy community. In 1671, the Massachusetts Bay Colony claimed the island, making it part of their territory. Over the next few years, the Massachusetts government set up a local government there. They appointed a military officer and a constable (a police officer). They also gave a license for a place where people could stay and eat, and they started collecting taxes for the first time.

Times of Conflict

On August 20, 1676, after a war called King Philip's War, a large Native American attack happened. They burned every settlement east of the Kennebec River. This included nearby places like Pemaquid, Boothbay, Damariscotta, and Sheepscot. About 300 people from these areas came to Damariscove Island looking for safety. Even though the island had farms, a fort, and a tavern, there wasn't enough food for so many people.

A few days later, a nearby island called Fisherman's Island was attacked. Everyone on Damariscove crowded into boats and fled to the safer Monhegan Island to the east. But the residents didn't stay away for long. Records show that a boat was taken and a man was killed in another raid later that same year.

More Attacks and Pirates

Damariscove was also attacked at the start of King William's War in 1689. Richard Pattishall, who had bought the island in 1685, was killed in the first attack. In another raid that summer, thirteen Abenaki warriors were pushed back, and no one on the island was hurt.

Despite more attacks in 1697 and during Father Rale's War in 1725, Damariscove Island continued to be a fishing station. In 1717, the famous pirate Black Sam Bellamy planned to go to Damariscove. He had taken 53 ships and over sixty cannons. But on April 26, 1717, his ship, the Whydah Galley, sank off Cape Cod before he could reach the island. Historians believe Bellamy wanted to create a pirate republic on Damariscove. He hoped to join forces with pirates in the Bahamas to control the entire Eastern seaboard of North America.

The American Revolution and Beyond

By the time of the American Revolution, farming had become important on the island. Just before the Burning of Falmouth in 1775, Captain Henry Mowatt raided the island. He burned at least one home and took seventy-eight sheep and three hogs.

By the late 1800s, most farming and fishing had moved away from Damariscove. Many nearby areas like Squirrel Island, Southport, and Boothbay Harbor were becoming popular vacation spots. The few people left on Damariscove Island mainly made a living by dairy farming. They also earned some money from fishing and running an ice house. They harvested ice from the island's fresh water pond. The farm products were delivered by boat to local hotels and summer communities. As late as 1914, there were enough people for a school on the island. But by 1917, many families had moved away, and the school closed.

Coast Guard Station

In 1897, the Damariscove Lifesaving Station was built on the island. This was because many ships wrecked on the rocky areas and shallow waters around the island. The station is still there today at the southern end of the harbor. It was staffed by the United States Life-Saving Service and later the U.S. Coast Guard until 1959. The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987 because of its historical importance.

Damariscove Today

Damariscove Island has been protected land since 1966. Most of the island was given to The Nature Conservancy by Mr. and Mrs. K.L. Parker. In 2005, The Nature Conservancy gave ownership of the island to the Boothbay Region Land Trust (BRLT). However, they kept a "forever wild" conservation easement, meaning the land will always be protected.

The old life station and the area around it are still privately owned. But the rest of the island is now uninhabited, meaning no one lives there. Damariscove harbor is still used by local commercial fishing boats for mooring and storage. The BRLT maintains two guest moorings (places for boats to tie up), the stone pier, and several hiking trails. These are open to the public during the summer. The northern half of the island is a protected nesting site each spring for the common eider bird.

Because of its long and interesting history, most of Damariscove Island was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. This helps protect its archaeological sites.

Wind Power Test Site

In December 2009, Governor John Baldacci named Damariscove, along with Monhegan and Boon islands, as test sites. These sites would be used to test new offshore deepwater wind power technologies. The law allowed testing off Damariscove for three years. The idea was that successful tests could lead to a permanent wind farm built further offshore. Some people have asked for careful supervision to make sure that local lobster fishing and bird migration paths are not harmed by these tests.