Island Tour Series: Malaga Island

In collaboration with Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT), we will be visiting Malaga Island for a presentation on the island’s history by Maine State Archivist Kate McBrien. The island was home to a mixed-race fishing community from the mid-1800s to 1912, when the state of Maine evicted 47 residents from their homes and exhumed and relocated their buried dead. The plan to build a summer resort on the island never came to fruition, but many Malaga descendants remained in the area, becoming integral parts of the communities that shunned their ancestors. Nearly 100 years after the cruel act took place, in 2010 then-Governor John Baldacci issued an apology, and the Maine legislature passed a resolution expressing its “profound regret.” To read more about Malaga Island, click here.

Participants will be shuttled a short distance to and from the island via Phippsburg, and the educational program will last approximately two hours. Participants are encouraged to bring a lunch to enjoy afterwards while still on the island. Participants should be reasonably comfortable getting on and off small boats. Please wear shoes that you wouldn’t mind getting wet or muddy.

Space is limited and advance registration is required. Registration for this event opens July 5 at 9 a.m.