Mackworth Island

Aerial view of Mackworth Island

Mackworth Island is an approximately 100-acre (40 ha) island in Falmouth, Maine, USA, adjacent to its border with Portland, Maine. In 1631, Sir Ferdinando Gorges gave the island to Arthur Mackworth, his deputy in Casco Bay, and the island has retained his name.[1] There is a causeway connecting the island to the mainland in Falmouth. Visitors to the island must pass by a tollhouse; 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. One portion of the woods is dedicated to “Fairy Houses” which are constructed by visitors using natural materials found on the island. [2] Mackworth Island has a beautiful rocky shore and offers ample opportunities for surf fisherman of Bluefish and Stripers.[3]

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.[4] The school is infamous for a sexual abuse scandal which became public in 1981 and involved the school's principal and superintendent.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums (1970). Doris A. Isaacson, ed. Maine: A Guide ‘Down East’. Rockland, Me: Courier-Gazette, Inc. p. 425.
  2. ↑ https://www.fairyhouses.com/news/mackworth-island-permanent-fairy-houses-village/
  3. 1 2 Features | Why I hate Mackworth Island Archived 2006-05-05 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ 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.)
  • Soares, Liz. All for Maine: The Story of Governor Percival P. Baxter. Windswept House Publishers (1996). ISBN 1-883650-17-8

Coordinates: 43°41′20.8″N 70°13′53.2″W / 43.689111°N 70.231444°W / 43.689111; -70.231444


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