Description: Cast iron ship's bell with partial detached yoke. The bell has a large crack and is covered with rust. The bell was retrieved by Harold Walls (1913-2000), a fisherman from Otter Creek, who retrieved it around 1958 or 59. Walls went fishing after a large storm, and found many buoys and lines tangled together. Instead of dealing with them at sea, he towed the tangle to Otter Creek to deal with it. This bell was found in the tangle. It is not clear how the bell ended up in the ocean and the exact location of the tangle is not now known. Temporary image [show more]
Description: Wooden box with lid and handle containing six glass milk bottles from Mt. Desert Island Dairy The box has a lid and lock, and is painted dark green. Writing on the outside appears to be stenciled in a pale yellow color. The interior is unpainted Writing on the lid reads: "Mt. Desert Island" and "Mt. Desert Island Dairy, Bar Harbor, Maine" is written on the front. The ends are labeled 6 QT. Six glass quart bottles are stored inside the box [show more]
Description: Sign advertising Island Lady Charters, a charter boat and water taxi business operated by Rhonda Lee Soucie of Seal Harbor, Maine The sign advertises suggested tours and offerings
Description: Wooden Lobster Buoy carved by Russell Lawson. The body of the buoy is a deep orange color and the handle is white. A rope loop extends from the end.
Description: Wooden Lobster Buoy, painted green and orange. The buoy is somewhat conical in shape, and has a hole through the center of it for a rope. The broader part (the top when floating in the water) is painted green, and the lower part is orange. Carving in the outer edge of the buoy reads: NEW 1400
Description: Lid from a wooden shipping box sent to F.E. Manchester, an electrician, in Northeast Harbor. The lid consists of four planks and two crosspieces. Written in back ink is information about the recipient: F.E. Manchester Northeast Harbor Maine Ex Paid - refers the the cost of express shipping being paid Stenciled text reads: Sunbeam - Tungsten Glass Handle-With-Care don't-Drop The crate likely contained a tungsten lamp or fixture. Affixed to the front of the crate are two paper labels. One reads is from American Express and contains the shipping cost that appears to be $.95 or $9.5 The other is from Earle and Prew's Express from Pawtucket R.I. [show more]
Description: Wooden sign for Pine Bough Antiques, an antiques and rare book shop operated by Rick and JoAnne Fuerst from 1976-2018. The store was located at 117 Main Street, Northeast Harbor. This sign hung off the front of the building and is therefore double sided. Looking at the two sides, green painted frame on one side is more weathered than the other. The two-sided sign has green lettering and a green frame, and pine bough is painted in the upper left corner. [show more]
Description: Wooden sign for Wikhegan Old Books, a rare book shop operated by Rick and JoAnne Fuerst from 1976-2018. The store was located at 117 Main Street, Northeast Harbor. This sign was removed from the building before the business closed, when books were sold from Pine Bough Antiques The sign is two sided and appears to have had a brown frame, which no longer survives. Brown paint appears beneath where the frame would have been.
Description: Cast iron stand, with wooden rod and spool of twine. This was used by David Stanley at Stanley's Fish Market, Northeast Harbor, to wrap fish for customers. The cast iron stand has raised letters reading CUTTER BOSTON on the inside of one leg. A spool of white twine accompanied this stand when it was given to the museum, but there was no longer any paper.
Description: Hand painted sign reading SEA FOOD. Sign is painted on Masonite (or a similar product) and has a white background and black letters. The front of the sign is scratched and shows signs of age. The sign came from Stanley's Fish Market, Northeast Harbor, operated by David L. Stanley. To see a photograph showing this sign or one like it, go to https://nehl.digitalarchive.us/items/show/5993
Description: Hand painted sign reading "LOBSTERS LIVE OR BOILED" Sign was used in the window of Stanley's Fish Market, Main Street, Northeast Harbor, operated by David L. Stanley. The sign consists of painted wood, with black letters on a white background. It is heavily abraded but still legible. There are visible screw holes on the front, with two vertical braces on the back. To see a photograph of this sign in the fish market go to: https://nehl.digitalarchive.us/items/show/6266 [show more]
Description: Fishing gear, "Lilly Iron" (harpoon) from Wesley Bracy, Jr. with swiveling piece on the barb that folds flat for easy penetration, but opens crosswise for increased grip, thus preventing loss of the fish; Bruce Komusin inserted a wooden boomstick handle and secured it with rope for display purposes.
Description: A letter to Lew Stanley from Barbara Donald. This letter basically says that Barbara is going to Europe for the summer and won't be going to Cranberry. She also mentions some oars, and owing Lew money.
Description: Research, Jessica Duma, 2014-2016 while an Island Institute Fellow at GCIHS which produced an exhibition, presentations, video, and oral history recordings. Historical and modern day materials pertaining to Duma's Agricultural Heritage of the Cranberry Isles fellowship focusing on farming, agriculture, apples, the Island Ecology project, farm stand, and more in the Town of Cranberry Isles from 19th century to present. Duma worked with mentor Todd Little-Siebold (College of the Atlantic) and used GCIHS and other local historical collections to produce an exhibition, gather oral histories, and record videos of her experiences and research while residing on Great Cranberry Island as a two-year fellow and then served as part-time manager of GCIHS and part-time manager for the CIRT (affordable housing) program for the last year. Documents in box. Digital materials located at NAS/ Catalogue/2017.399.2175_Duma. A. Exhibit materials (museum) and: NAS\Exhibits\Exhibits2015\Farming_JessiAndJillPiekutExhibitWork. B. Interviews: NAS\video\Jessi Duma Interviews 2014-20: Video by Duma and Jenny Matthews of "Chuddy" Alley in his home on April 2015. Audio of Colleen Bunker interview December 10, 2015, via telephone. Video of interview with Eva Bracy Galyean on November 22, 2015 in her GCI home with transcript. Audio of Gaile Colby interview January 15, 2015, by Duma and Sarah McCracken, partial transcript. Audio of music and singing with Arvard Savage 2015 or 2016. Video (with separate audio) of Phil Whitney in his GCI home January and February 2016. Video of Duma and Anne Gruhlich on a walkabout with Michael Macfarlan on his property discussing evidence of past farming and other occupations still visible on his historic Preble Cove property. Use of these interviews requires permission of the interviewee or their descendants. Questions: contact jessiduma@gmail.com. C. Video “A Taste of Great Cranberry Island: Agriculture Past and Present” - Duma explores agriculture on Great Cranberry Island through interviews with past and current residents. Directed, filmed, and edited by Jessica Duma. Featuring: Gaile Colby, Ben Sumner, Hallie Sumner, Kariah Sumner, Phil Whitney, Kayla Gagnon, Genny Mathews, Sarah McCracken, Colleen Bunker, Page Hill, Wendy Rackliff. Music by Jason Shaw: Serenity, Mountain Sun, Hoedown, Acoustic Meditation, Solo Acoustic Guitar. Special thanks to: GCIHS, Anne Grulich, Island Institute, Scott Sell, College of the Atlantic, Todd Little-Siebold. On YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKbktzbCqlw [Presently awaiting permissions to use the background music per Jessi 9/2017. Jessi will provide DVD copy after permissions granted.] [show more]
Description: Interview Transcript from an interview with Richard 'Chuddy' Alley. The interview was recorded in the 2000's (exact year unknown) by Jessi Duma and Jenny Matthews, who both lived on the island for a number of years. Chuddy came to GCI as a young boy, and recounts many memories of Great Cranberry in the early to mid 20th century. He talks about agriculture and fishing extensively with Jessi. He moved over to Islesford and his son Ricky Alley speaks about fishing with a fish trap, and Pursing. Jessi was a Cranberry Island Fellow and became the general manager for GCIHS for a few years. Interview with transcribed by Hannah Gower-Fox. She was the Archivist and Museum Curator for GCIHS in 2023. [show more]
Description: Seeds. Collection of Polly Storey's Wild Island Farm seeds including three green wooden display boxes (A, B, and C) (with lids attached by brass chains) containing white and green paper seed packets ready for sale, and two shoebox-size cardboard boxes (D and E) with seed packets. There is also a folder of materials (F) relating to Wild Island Farm, the seed business, and a newspaper article “Polly Forbes Johnson Storey: A Spirit of Independence” (Bar Harbor Times, October 21, 1976). (See also GCIHS 1000.0.965 for another undated article about seeds business.) Seed packets indicate crop years were 1972 and 1992; but many packets have no crop years identified. Most of the seeds originated in Maine, but some are from Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Yugoslavia. Polly Storey’s daughter, Elizabeth Selim, recalls her mother germinating wildflower seeds on the property and remembers her mother’s seed business. Two of the green seed display boxes (A and B) contain packets of tree seeds. On the interior lids of these two boxes is a printed pamphlet: Tree Seeds from Maine* (and other exotic parts of the world), with text on why and how to plant tree seeds. Seed packets inside these two boxes include balsam fir, mountain ash, white pine, sugar maple, paper birch, and white spruce - all "Packed by Wild Island Farm, Cranberry Isles, Maine 04625." Balsam fir (Abies balsama): Purity 93%, Germination 50% March 1994; Crop year 1992, Origin Maine. Mountain Ash (Sorbus americana): Purity 80%, Germination 30% March 1994, Crop year 1992, Origin Tennessee. White Pine (Pinus strobus): Purity 98%, Germination 90% March 1994, Crop year 1991, Origin Maine. Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum): Purity 97%, Germination 55% March 1994, Crop Year 1992, Origin Pennsylvania. Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera): Purity 85%, Germination 95% March 1994, Crop year 1992, Origin Wisconsin. White Spruce: (Picea abies): Purity 98%, Germination 47.5% March 1992, Crop year 1990, Origin Yugoslavia. Several types of tree seed packets have bar-coded labels on reverse: “Acadia Shops, (seed name), $2.00”. The third green display box (C) contains mostly flower packets, but there are also four packets of White Cedar seeds in it. The interior lid of this box has hand drawn text and lovely small watercolor sketches of the types of flower seed packets it contains. White Cedar (Thuja occidentales): Text, printing and ‘packed by’ are slightly different: Purity 95%, Germ. 60% March 1973, Crop Year 1972, Origin Maine: Packed by Wild Island Seeds, The Farm House, Cranberry Isles, Maine 04625. Flower packets: Daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum): No date packed etc. Blue Flag (Iris versicolor): No date packed etc, but an Acadia Shops sticker (no bar code) $1.50 on reverse. Evening Primrose (Onothera biennis): No date packed etc. Beach Pea (Lathyrus japponics): Empty envelope, no crop year etc. Lupine (Lupinus perennis): No crop year etc. Cattail (Typha latifolia): No crop year etc., sealed but seems empty. Blueberry (Vaccinium augustifolium): No date crop year etc., envelope stained. There are 5 small manila envelopes with handwritten labels: Beach Pea, Wild Rose, Blue Flag, Seaside Goldenrod, and Bunchberry. Inside a sixth, larger manila envelope (labelled in red ink: ‘Begonia seeds’) are 5 folded, white paper packets, only two of which are labelled: "Pink and white from Christmas cactus pot", and "Deep Red". Cardboard boxes: First box (D) labeled “M.D. Apothecary” contains 59 green and white paper packets of Rhubarb (Rhabarbarum) seeds, “Packed by Wild Island Farm, Cranberry Isles, Maine 04625”, no crop year etc., but Acadia Shops sticker (no bar code) $1.50 on reverse. Second box (E) contains 99 green and white paper packets of Mountain Ash (Sorbus americana) seeds: Purity 80%, Germination 30% March 1994, Crop year 1992, Origin Tennessee, Packed by Wild Island Farm, Cranberry Isles, Maine 04625, no sticker on reverse. Documents (F): 1970 to 1995, including 1992 correspondence with Aroostook Testing and Consulting Laboratory in Presque Isle, Maine, shows Polly submitted several varieties of tree seeds from Cranberry Island for testing and received germination rates for each. Information on how and when to gather seeds. Statements and business registration information. Newspaper article “Polly Forbes Johnson Storey: A Spirit of Independence” (Bar Harbor Times, October 21, 1976). Several letters from visitors who purchased the seeds at local hotels and wanted advice. Two loose 2"x2" square water color sketches of cranberry and fireweed. One 6"x8" color photograph of Polly Storey by Dick Berggren. [show more]
Description: George and Sam Gilley haying on Little Cranberry Island. [THIS MAY BE an NPS ACADIA PHOTOGRAPH.] Notes on reverse: "Janice Murch 7/000 Cat. No. 548, Acadia Ex. 705 George & Sam Gilley haying."
Description: A framed page from Cranberry Club members offering condolences to Mrs. Hamor on the loss of Captain Hamor signed July 9, 1913 by members of the Club: Emma L. Wesson, President; Eleanor Blodgette, VP; Juliana Wood, Secretary; Frances S. Pepper, Treasurer; Annie W. J. Low; W. Amos Doris?; Caroline M. Lewis; Elizabeth R. Arnold; Sophy Dallas Gwin; Frances Parkman; Emilio Ofsten Mulligan?. [This statement is mounted on a black matte on the reverse of a photo of an unidentified stone edifice surrounded by pine trees.] [show more]
Description: Fishing gear. Collection of twelve wooden tools: (A) Eight wooden needles for mending nets, making and repairing bait bag netting: snowshoe-shaped implements with U-shaped end, closed tangs, and pointed ends. (B) Net needle: wood with large rectangular eye hole. (C) Wood rectangle with hole in the middle and a loop of rope through two other holes: lobster fishing assemby that keeps the line from getting tangled. (D and E) Two wood implements that come to a smooth point. [show more]
Description: This is a transcript of an interview Phil Whitney and Bruce Komusin conducted with Wilfred Bunker, the cofounder of Beal and Bunker, on the 5th December, 2011.
Description: Art, pen and ink drawing titled "LOBSTER TRAP ON BOTTOM" by C. Gilley, showing an old fashioned round top wooden lobster trap on the sea bed, with a rope going up to an intermediate float (a glass bottle), the rope continuing further up to a bullet shaped float on the surface; also a lobster boat approching it on the surface