Governor Plaisted and Party landing on Malaga, Maine's most noted Island. (See over.) (1911)
- (on the reverse side)
THE NOTED MALAGA ISLAND
For twenty years the chain of islands at the eastern end of Casco Bay, and lying along the western shore of Phippsburg, have been a sort of ìNo manís Land.î Among them ìMalaga,î between Bear Island and Sebasco, has been noted for its squatter settlement. The Boston papers have aired it by the page, and many thrilling tales of shipments of short lobsters are told by the ìknowing ones.î Until the law on ìshortsî was rigidly enforced, the squatters got along fairly well in their simple life, but of late years, having become more frequent objects of charity, and paying no taxes, they have been ìa thorn in the fleshî of BEAUTIFUL MAINE.
By the law courtís decision twenty years since, all these islands were a part of Cumberland County, but in 1911, the Democratic Attorney General decided they were a part of Phippsburg in Kennebec County, but an Act of the Legislature will probably be needed to make Phippsburg take them over. In August, 1911, Governor Plaisted and Council, with leading citizens of Portland, landed on Malaga, and saw the real condition of affairs. As a result, eight of the residents have been moved to the State Home for Feeble Minded and the State has bought the Island of its proper owners for $400.
All praise to Governor Plaisted and his Democratic colleagues, for they have again ìmade good.î (1912)
The Deuce of Spades Malaga Island New Meadows River Me. c.1911-1912 (Boston Post-Card Co.)
Malaga Island was a small community that was settled off of the coast of Phippsburg, Maine. Benjamin Darling an ex-slave was believed to have started the community around 1794. This community became a haven for many poor Blacks, Native Americans, and working class Whites that needed a place to reside. The Island had a culture that was unlike the main land of Maine. The culture was dramatically different because of the ways that Whites and Blacks lived together on the Island. There were many interracial unions on the Island but none had legal validity because interracial marriage (anti-miscegination) was illegal in the United States until 1967. The island was an extremely poor community that made due mainly on subsistence fishing and very scarce agriculture. Little was known about this island, thus, the activities on it were brought into question. The local newspapers printed stories that came out of these assumptions, which told tales of people on the island living with horns and engaging in incest. However, that was not the case. The stories about the island also came about during an interesting time, because the tourist industry started to take off during that moment in time. The conjured tales about Malaga came about just as the rusticators (wealthy urban tourists)ventured up from New York and Boston to enjoy the rural landscape of Maine. In addition, the island land that poor farmers and fishers used became valuable for the tourist industry, in regards of scenic views and landscapes. The poor mixed race community was an eye sore for the tourist industry in Phippsburg. Thus, in 1912 the governor of Maine had the islanders evicted from Malaga, and many were moved to the State School for the Feeble Minded.Many of the former Malaga residents died and suffered disgrace that was unwarranted.
Questions to think about
- What do you think some of the connections are between the tourist industry and the eviction of Malaga Islanders?
- What factors contributed to the island being culturally different then the main land? Why was Malaga so unique?
- Why would the community of Phippsburg want the residents of Malaga evicted?
Further Reading
- William D. Barry, ìThe Shameful Story of Malaga Island,î Down East Magazine XXVII:4 (November 1980): 53-56, 83-86.
- Holman Day, ìThe Queer Folk of the Maine Coast,î Harperís Monthly Magazine CXIX.712 (September 1909), 521-530
- Deborah Dubrule, ìHow the State of Maine destroyed a ëdifferentí island communityî Island Journal 16 (1999), 48-53, 90-91.
- Randy Stakeman, ìThe Black Population of Maine, 1764-1900,î New England Journal of Black Studies no. 8 (1989): 17-35
