Mackworth Island

Mackworth Island State Park
Aerial view of Mackworth Island
Map showing the location of Mackworth Island State Park
Map showing the location of Mackworth Island State Park
Location in Maine
LocationFalmouth, Maine, United States
Coordinates43°41′24″N 70°14′06″W / 43.690127°N 70.234947°W / 43.690127; -70.234947[1]
Area100 acres (40 ha)[2]
AdministratorMaine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
WebsiteMackworth Island State Park

Mackworth Island is an approximately 100-acre (40 ha) island in Casco Bay, Maine, United States. Politically, it is part of the town of Falmouth, which is adjacent to Portland. In 1631, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, who first attempted to colonize Maine, gifted the island to Arthur Mackworth, his deputy in Casco Bay, and the island has retained his name.[3] A causeway, which carries the traffic of Andrews Avenue, connects the island to Mackworth Point on the mainland. Visitors to the island must pass a state park entrance tollhouse and pay an entrance fee; cars can enter the island, but parking is limited. There is a footpath around the perimeter of the island with views of Falmouth, Portland, and other islands surrounding the bay. The island is heavily wooded and one portion of those woods is dedicated to "Fairy Houses" which are constructed by visitors using natural materials found on the island.[4] Although most areas of the island are State Park lands, there is a school area that is not open to the public. The island is also home to the Governor Baxter Dog Memorial, a pet cemetery where fourteen of the former governor's Irish Setters and one of his horses were laid to rest, accompanied by two bronze markers and a gravestone, all enclosed by a circular stone wall.[5]

Governor Baxter School for the Deaf

Main article: Governor Baxter School for the Deaf

In 1943, Maine's governor Percival P. Baxter deeded the island and causeway, including his summer home, to the State of Maine. In 1957, the state created the Governor Baxter School for The Deaf (formerly known as the Maine School for The Deaf) on the island.[6] The school is infamous for a sexual abuse scandal which became public in 1981 and involved the school's principal and superintendent.[7] There is currently still a school operating at this site.

Friends School of Portland

Friends School of Portland, an independent Quaker preschool through eighth grade school, was located on Mackworth Island from 2006 to 2015, when it moved to new facility in nearby Cumberland, Maine.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Mackworth Island State Park". Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  2. ^ "State Parks, State Historic Sites and Public Reserved Lands" (PDF). Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. September 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  3. ^ Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums (1970). Doris A. Isaacson (ed.). Maine: A Guide 'Down East'. Rockland, Me: Courier-Gazette, Inc. p. 425.
  4. ^ "Mackworth Island – permanent Fairy Houses Village! | Fairy Houses". www.fairyhouses.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2011.
  5. ^ Voornas, Lori (October 28, 2019). "Pet Cemetery on Mackworth Island Is Creepy and Sweet". WJBQ.com. Retrieved July 27, 2020. But Governor Percival Proctor Baxter (1921-1925) was not only a lover of dogs, but a breeder of Irish Setters. He had all of his dogs (14) and even his horse buried on Mackworth Island.
  6. ^ Gannon, Jack. 1981. Deaf Heritage–A Narrative History of Deaf America, Silver Spring, MD: National Association of the Deaf, p. 45 (PDF Archived 2012-03-28 at the Wayback Machine)
  7. ^ Features | Why I hate Mackworth Island Archived 2006-05-05 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "FSP To Stay On Mackworth Until July 2015". Friends School of Portland. Retrieved November 22, 2018.

Bibliography

  • Soares, Liz. All for Maine: The Story of Governor Percival P. Baxter. Windswept House Publishers (1996). ISBN 1-883650-17-8