Malaga Island facts for kids
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Native name:
Brant Island
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 Malaga Island
Location in Maine
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| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 43°46′54″N 069°52′30″W / 43.78167°N 69.87500°W |
| Area | 0.0641 sq mi (0.166 km2) |
| Administration | |
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United States
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| State | Maine |
| Municipality | Phippsburg |
Malaga Island is a small island in Maine, United States. It is about 41 acres (16.6 hectares) in size. For many years, from the time of the American Civil War until 1911, it was home to a unique community. This community was made up of people of different races living together. Sadly, in 1911, the people living there were forced to leave their homes. Today, Malaga Island is empty. It is a special nature reserve. The Maine Coast Heritage Trust owns and manages it. People can visit the island during the day.
Contents
A Community's Story
How did people first come to live on Malaga Island? There are different ideas. Some stories say it was a place where sailors left their partners. Others suggest it was a stop on the Underground Railroad. However, there is no real proof for these stories.
Most people who settled on Malaga Island were likely descendants of Benjamin Darling. He was a Freedman, meaning he was a formerly enslaved person who gained his freedom. He had settled on nearby Harbor Island. The first person to live on Malaga Island was a Black man named Henry Griffin. He moved there in the mid-1860s. By 1880, about 27 people were living on the island.
State Involvement
The nearby towns of Phippsburg and Harpswell did not want to take responsibility for the Malaga Island community. This was because they would have to pay to support poor people (called paupers) living there. Instead, they wanted to build a hotel on the island for business.
In 1905, the State of Maine stepped in. They declared the island residents to be "wards of the state." This meant the state took control over their care. The state built a school on the island and provided a teacher. They started to pay more attention to this unusual community.
Forced Eviction
While some people saw improvements on the island, Governor Frederick W. Plaisted saw it as a problem for Maine's reputation. Under his orders, state officials took away men, women, and children. Many of these people were forced into special institutions.
In 1912, the state carried out a mass eviction. The remaining 45 people of the mixed-race community were forced off the island. To make sure no one would move back, Maine authorities even dug up the graves. They moved the bodies to the Maine School for the Feeble-Minded in New Gloucester.
Island Ownership
Eli Perry bought Malaga Island in 1818 for $150. But there are not many records about who owned it after that. The island was only mentioned twice in the family's property papers over the next 100 years. It was never mentioned in any of the Perry family's wills. Tax records in Phippsburg showed that no one had ever paid taxes on the island.
Despite these questions about who owned the island, the Perry family told the residents to leave in 1911. The state then bought the island. They evicted the islanders, but they did pay them some money to help them move. One family of seven and one other person were sent to an institution. They were diagnosed as "feeble-minded," but many people question if this diagnosis was accurate.
Missionaries were helping the islanders. They had tried to buy the island from the Perry family so the residents could stay. But the governor offered more money and bought it instead. Then he evicted the residents. It is not clear why the governor changed his mind, as he had promised to help the community before. Some people think it was because he was angry at the missionaries. They had beaten him in a political fight about Prohibition.
In 1912, the state decided to sell the island. After the eviction, the state tore down all the buildings on the island. Only the schoolhouse was saved. It was moved to nearby Louds Island. The descendants of the Malaga Island residents are now spread across different towns and cities in Maine.
Remembering Malaga Island
On April 7, 2010, lawmakers in Maine finally said they were sorry for what happened on Malaga Island. This was an official statement of regret. However, they did not tell the descendants of the islanders or other people involved about it. The public apology was not known to people until almost four months later. This was when an article appeared in a magazine called Down East. The magazine also got a statement of regret from Governor John Baldacci.
In 2023, Malaga Island was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is recognized as an important historical site.
Art and Literature
In 2012, Governor Paul LePage opened a special exhibit at the Maine State Museum. This exhibit looked back at the history of Malaga Island.
From 2019 to 2020, the Tate Gallery in London showed an art project called Amalgam. This project was created by artist Theaster Gates. It explored the history of Malaga Island.
American writer Paul Harding used the island's history for his 2023 novel, This Other Eden. Some critics said the novel included harmful myths about the island's residents. Historians have worked hard to correct these myths.
Another author, Stephen Hemingway, wrote a historical fiction novel in 2012. It is called "The Malaga Chronicles" and is also about Malaga Island.
Images for kids
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Malaga Island residents posing with a missionary outside their home for the September 1909 issue of Harper's Weekly.
