A visit to Maine reveals gorgeous coastline and wonderful forest. It’s relaxing, rejuvenating and special to the people that live here and visit. But, being an idyllic vacation destination doesn’t mean we’re perfect. Our history includes parts we’re not proud of, just like any other place.
Those looking to understand some of the most mysterious and awful parts of Maine history will find them at Malaga Island. This is the sad story of an island community forced to leave their homes and resettle elsewhere with little to no help from anyone.
Malaga Island is a small land mass off the coast, but within perfect view of Phippsburg.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube
Beginning around 1860, a small, racially mixed community existed on Malaga Island.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube
Many incorrectly believe that the community was made up of runaway slaves, which is simply not true.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube
Members of this community were actually descendants of families in the area going as far back as the 1700s and The American Revolution.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube
The island community worked in areas such as fishing, masonry, or carpentry.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube
In the late 1800s, immigration to America increased giving rise to the dangerous pseudoscience known as “eugenics.”
Anita Clearfield / YouTube Those who believed in eugenics believed that anyone who was not white was a threat to the Anglo Saxon heritage in America that was believed to be superior.
Things got worse for Malaga Island as the economic situation in Maine deteriorated in the late 1800s.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube
Jobs in coastal towns disappeared and resources in the area became scarce.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube Families were forced to rely on assistance from the towns in which they lived, but federal programs for welfare did not yet exist.
In order to help residents, individual towns were expected to raise taxes or take people into homes.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube But, Phippsburg residents couldn’t afford to help those on Malaga Island, which left the residents in a dire situation.
As Malaga Island declined economically, the community was seen as unfit for a “real” life and it was depicted this way in papers across New England.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube
In 1911, Governor Frederick Plaisted visited Malaga and decided that the community must be moved.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube
In an illegal deal, Maine purchased the island and the 33 inhabitants were forced to move.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube
The residents were given a small amount of money, but the damage of eugenics had taken hold and few places in Maine were willing to let them stay.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube
Eventually, the remaining buildings were demolished, with the exception of the schoolhouse which was moved to a new place to become a church.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube
8 residents who were people of color or Native American were institutionalized at Pineland, referred to as The Maine Home for the Feeble-Minded at the time.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube Nobody seemed to care that 6 of these people were of normal intelligence and mentally competent. These people never left the institution.
Sadly, it wasn’t just living residents that were forced to go through a terrible relocation.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube 18 graves on Malaga Island were excavated and combined into five coffins and moved to the Pineland cemetery.
Each of these graves bear the same date in 1912 - the one on which they were excavated.
Many believe that the state did this as a way of covering up any signs of life having ever existed on Malaga Island.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube
Despite plans, Malaga Island was never developed and it sits empty even today.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube
Eugenics has no place in our world and the hope is that by telling this story, history will not repeat itself. For now, it’s a dark stain on Maine that we can only hope will be re-told to keep the memories of those that lived there alive.
Anita Clearfield / YouTube
Those who believed in eugenics believed that anyone who was not white was a threat to the Anglo Saxon heritage in America that was believed to be superior.
Families were forced to rely on assistance from the towns in which they lived, but federal programs for welfare did not yet exist.
But, Phippsburg residents couldn’t afford to help those on Malaga Island, which left the residents in a dire situation.
Nobody seemed to care that 6 of these people were of normal intelligence and mentally competent. These people never left the institution.
18 graves on Malaga Island were excavated and combined into five coffins and moved to the Pineland cemetery.
Each of these graves bear the same date in 1912 - the one on which they were excavated.
One positive to come of some of the negative news coverage is that the island is now one of the best documented accounts of rural Black life in early 1900s America. The newspaper coverage allowed for the true experience to be shared. And, it’s a testament to the power of the press to share stories and true experiences.
For more history, please view this video which includes the work uncovered by a team at USM.
Maine has another deserted ghost town. This one is underwater and you can learn more about it here.
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