Wabanaki Land
Hurricane Island is on unceded Wabanaki territory. Traditionally the Wabanaki (People of the Dawn) spent summers on the coast where islands offered access to saltwater fisheries and spent winters inland. Oyster shell middens are still found up and down coastal Maine. We know that the Wabanaki were well versed in canoe travel, and first contact stories include natives traveling 100+ miles along the coast (famously from Monhegan Island, ME to Provincetown, MA at the tip of Cape Cod) by canoe. The remaining Wabanaki tribes are the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy and the Penobscot. It is likely that the Penobscot tribe occupied the islands of Penobscot Bay in pre-colonial times harvesting seafood resources.
The origin of the name “Hurricane Island” remains unknown. The most reasonable explanation we’ve heard so far is that Hurricane is the most exposed of the Fox Island Archipelago and bears the brunt of incoming storms.
European Colonial Explorers, Fishing & Trade
European explorers in the late 1400s took note of the bountiful fishery in the Gulf of Maine and European fishermen started landing on Maine islands and along the coast to process and salt cod for the voyage back to European markets. Captain John Smith spent time exploring the coast near Camden and Rockport, before heading back to England. He planned to return to Maine, but storms and politics ultimately directed him towards Virginia where Jamestown was founded.
These early explorers and colonists also took Wabanaki people back to Europe as objects to show and ‘civilize’, continuing a pattern of kidnapping, slavery, war, and displacement. Throughout these encounters beginning in the 1400s, up to 95% of the First Nations peoples on the east coast were lost to disease, conflict, and exodus. Those events even shaped the physical landscape: an example is that The Old Augusta Road running from Warren to Augusta started as a footpath trading route established for year round fur trade. Routes like this were required because disease had killed so many people from 1617-1619 that there weren’t enough people left to meet basic needs for living - those still alive suddenly became dependent on fur trade for the money to procure food and clothing.
As settlers pushed inland, displacing people and taking over resources and lands, the exceptionally long coastal rivers allowed loggers to access ever larger trees upstream. These trees could be floated downstream to shipyards. This access to timber combined with the fishery created a major shipbuilding industry in Maine. Even after the old growth forests were logged out, the industry remained, transitioning from wood to iron and steel ships.
Quarry Era
In 1870 Hurricane island was purchased by General Tillson, and the Hurricane Island Granite company was formed. Many Maine islands formed from granitic plutons were quarried in the 1800s when ship transport was the central engine for the extraction economy. Hurricane Island had an international workforce of artisans that notably included Swedes, Finns, Irish, Scots, English and Italians and boasted a year round population of up to 1200 people during the quarrying heyday 1880 -1900. Hurricane Island granite may be found in the Suffolk County Courthouse, Boston; the Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis Post Offices; the Brooklyn Bridge; the Washington Monument; Philadelphia and Chicago railroad stations; and the city streets of New York, Boston, Chicago and Havana, Cuba, among many other spots. Tilson died in 1895, but the company continued moving forward through the turn of the century.
Click to see a few photos from the granite quarry era!
Amidst an industry-wide shift to cement production, train transport over land, and the onset of WWI, the quarrying operation on Hurricane Island came to an abrupt halt after a major delivery of granite sank on route to Rockland Harbor followed within days by the untimely death of the company’s foreman in 1914. Most of the residents were evacuated with little more than a few hours notice, and buildings were later disassembled and moved to Vinalhaven and other neighboring towns.
Gaston Family
William Gaston bought Hurricane Island in 1936 and later deeded it to his son, Dr. James Gaston (1931-2022), as a wedding present. Dr. Gaston first built an A-frame cabin near the south cove, then had a stunning summer home built on the island’s highest point. Dr. Gaston’s son, Jamey and daughter Frances now own the island. Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership holds a 40 year lease on the majority of the island. The Gaston family maintains a private section of the island on the remaining one-third, which should be strictly respected.
Hurricane Island Outward Bound School (HIOBS)
From 1964-2006 Hurricane Island was the base camp for the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School (HIOBS). The organization was founded by Peter Willauer, Trustee Emeritus, and is known for its experiential leadership education, rock climbing, ropes course, sailing, and pulling boat programs. Hurricane Island Outward Bound School left the island in 2006 and now runs Maine-based programs in northern Maine and Wheeler's Bay.
Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership
In 2009, the Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership was formed by Peter and Ben Willauer and several former HIOBS instructors. They consulted and received advice from many national leaders in science education and research. Since inception, we have worked to create a sustainable campus and develop our research and educational programs. We honor the history of the island by working to preserve the landscape and the artifacts found throughout the island. The island is open to visitors and has been a favorite picnic spot for multigenerational families from nearby communities. We welcome all - students, staff, researchers, educators, members of the fishing community, and visitors alike.
Archaeology of Hurricane Island
Because of the fascinating history of the island, there is a lot of interest in archaeological work. We host archaeologists and students to study the history of the island in during a week long program. Past participants have shared here and here.
For Additional Reading
Field Naturalist Benjamin Lemmond put together an excellent resource, which helps paint the picture of how Hurricane Island came to be and how that set the stage for human and animal interactions to come.
PIECES, PATTERNS, & PROCESSES: An Ecological Assessment of Hurricane Island, Maine
State and local history resources include:
Geology: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mgs/explore/bedrock/facts/geol-hist.htm
Wabanaki History: www.abbemuseum.org
State of Maine Museum: www.mainestatemuseum.org
Granite Quarry History: http://www.vinalhavenhistoricalsociety.org
Hardy, Kerry. Notes on a Lost Flute, DownEast Books, 2009