Vinalhaven is a town located in the Fox Islands in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,235 at the 2000 census. It is home to a thriving lobster fishery and hosts a summer colony. Since there is no bridge to the island, Vinalhaven is accessible from Rockland via an approximately hour and fifteen minute ferry ride across West Penobscot Bay, or by air taxi from the Rockland airport.
History
Archeological remains indicate that the island was first inhabited 3800–5000 years ago by the Red Paint People. Later, it became Abenaki territory. Europeans visited in the 1500s, and English Capt. Martin Pring named the archipelago "Fox Islands" in 1603. The first permanent English settlement occurred in 1766 when Thaddeus Carver from Marshfield, Massachusetts arrived, and later purchased 700 acres (2.8 km2) on the southern shore near what would become known as Carver's Harbor.
Others soon followed to establish the remote fishing community in the Gulf of Maine. The first families of Vinalhaven are considered to be Arey, Calderwood, Carver, Coombs, Dyer, Ginn, Greem, Hopkins, Lane, Leadbetter, Norton, Philbrook, Pierce, Robert, Smith, Warren and Vinal. On June 25, 1789, Vinalhaven was incorporated as a town. In 1847, the North Island was set off as North Haven.
High quality granite was discovered in 1826, and Vinalhaven became one of Maine's largest quarrying centers for the next century. Today the island is dotted with abandoned old quarries, many of which have since filled with groundwater and are popular swimming holes for residents and visitors alike. Pinkish-gray Vinalhaven granite, excavated by the Bodwell Granite Company, can be seen in the State Department Building in Washington, Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, and the Union Mutual Life Insurance Building in Boston.[1]
Granite was shipped for customs houses and post offices in New York, St. Louis, Kansas City, Buffalo, etc., the railroad station and the Board of Trade in Chicago, the Washington Monument and federal office buildings in the Capital, foundation stone and the eight huge polished columns for the nave of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City, the Pennsylvania Railroad Station and the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia, as well as private mansions, monuments, bridges, dams, and thousands of tons of paving blocks for the streets of Portland, Boston, New York, Newark, Philadelphia and other cities. [2]
Vinalhaven is a noted lobster fishing community. Vinalhaven has the fishing rights to the largest area of fishing ground in Penobscot Bay, and lobstermen have been known for aggressive fishing practices. There are ten major fishing grounds around Vinalhaven that the island's fishermen and some Matinicus Isle fishermen have used for centuries to capture such groundfish as cod, haddock, pollock, lobster and cusk. Like neighboring North Haven Island, Vinalhaven is well-known for its summer community of wealthy Northeasterners, mostly from Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. The Movie The Islander was filmed on Vinalhaven and some of the locals acted in the movie.
Vinalhaven is the site of one of the first large wind power projects on the east coast of the United States. Three wind turbine towers under construction in 2009 promise to provide all the electrical power required by the island. During the winter, when the island population drops and the winds blow strongly, the turbines will create power in excess of the island's requirements which will be sold to the mainland electrical grid. In the summer, when the population is swelled by part time residents and the winds are less strong, the island will receive make up power from the mainland electrical grid.
Notable natives and residents
Monolithic columns quarried for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, installation completed in 1904
- Margaret Wise Brown, children's book author
- Caitlin Cahow, hockey player
- Joseph P. Dyer, politician
- John C. Harkness, architect
- Robert Indiana, artist
- John Jay Iselin, administrator & educator
- Philip Jamison, artist
- Brewster Jennings, industrialist
- Leverett Saltonstall, politician
- John Wulp, scenic designer, producer & director
- Ketch Secor, musician.
Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 1,235 people, 550 households, and 341 families residing in the town. The population density was 48.8 people per square mile (18.8/km²). There were 1,228 housing units at an average density of 48.5/sq mi (18.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.14% White, 0.32% Native American, 0.32% Asian, and 1.21% from two or more races.
There were 550 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.82.Lobstering is a considerable part of the islands economy. Almost everyone lobsters.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $34,087, and the median income for a family was $42,917. Males had a median income of $36,094 versus $17,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,287. About 5.7% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Sites of interest
References
External links
Coordinates: 44°02′53″N 68°49′54″W / 44.04806°N 68.83167°W / 44.04806; -68.83167
