September 6th was an exciting day for the Chebeague Island Historical Society when the Museum of Chebeague History was visited by Shelly Lowe, Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities; Chellie Pingree, 1st District Representative; Samaa Abdrraqib, Executive Director of the Maine Humanities Council; and members of their respective staffs. Chebeague was the last stop on Lowe’s first trip to Maine. She also visited the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor and the Portland Museum of Art.
The event was Chair Lowe’s first visit to an island community. She learned first-hand about everyday issues facing Maine islanders. While the group toured the facility and the new exhibit, Creating a Sense of Place: The Evolution of the Chebeague Community, they engaged in conversation with CIHS president Beth McNulty and other CIHS members as they learned how Chebeague Island, a geographically isolated island community, has adapted to change over the centuries. They explored the exhibit’s topics including the island’s Indigenous past and saw artifacts dating back more than 7000 years before the present. They learned about the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot families who spent summers on the island during the first half of the 20th century while making and selling their handcrafts. In addition, they heard how islanders have adapted to change and preserved their island identity, while transitioning from a farming and maritime community to one that dealt with changes associated with tourism.
National Endowment for the Humanities Chair, Shelly Lowe, learned that through innovation, ingenuity, and community spirit, Chebeaguers have a rich history of solving problems and developing creative solutions including becoming Maine’s newest Town. The group left with an understanding of how Maine’s island communities can be models for other communities grappling with change.
Donna Miller Damon, Volunteer Collections Manager
Chebeague Island Historical Society