Museum and Gift Shop News The Museum and Gift Shop will host pop-up hours for holiday tours and shopping again this season. We'll be open:  November 29, noon to 4:00;   December 10, 4-7:00 p.m.; and  December 14, 1-4:00 p.m. We have several new books of interest. Old Mainer of the Sea is a children's book about Chebeague's Eben York, who in the late 1800s rowed to Portland to sell his fish. 

Museum and Gift Shop News The Museum and Gift Shop will host holiday pop-up hours for the exhibit and shopping again this season. We will be open Saturday, November 29, noon to 4:00;  Wednesday, December 10, 4-7:00 p.m.; and  Sunday, December 14, 1-4:00 p.m. We have several new books of interest. Recently republished, "Old Mainer and the Sea" is a beautifully illustrated children's book about Chebeague's Eben York, who in the 1880s rowed to Portland to sell his fish. 

Gift Shop and Museum News Fall hours until October 12 Saturdays 10 - 4 and Sundays 1 - 4 Exhibit and Museum Shop Check out our sale merchandise on the bench outside and throughout the store! Great items for holiday shopping! After October 12, we will offer pop-up hours for the museum shop. Check our website and Facebook page for dates.

Chebeague Island Historical Society Ellsworth Miller Memorial Lecture Series presents The Long Ago Summer Cottages on Little Chebeague Island Dating back to the 19th century, Little Chebeague Island was home to various farms and a vibrant summer colony centered around a massive Victorian hotel. The occupation of Little Chebeague Island by the Navy in WWII necessitated the eviction of the residents of the 11 summer cottages and other outbuildings.

Gift Shop and Museum News The Museum will continue on summer hours until September 14, then revert to fall hours: open weekends only until Monday, October 13. Just in time for fall, new cozy quarter-zip shirts have arrived in our shop. We are always adding items to the discount bench, so stop in and check out our sales too. We continue to offer our newly released cookbook, "A Taste of Chebeague", both in the store and online.

Chebeague Island Historical Society Ellsworth Miller Memorial Lecture Series presents John Mann Historian and Maine Ulster-Scots Project Director “…a Scotch-Irish Rebellion” A 250th Anniversary Reflection on Local “Scotch-Irish” participation in the American Revolutionary War John will weave the story of the Scotch-Irish in Maine including the towns abutting Casco Bay. This Ellsworth Miller Memorial Lecture is part of the Chebeague Island Historical Society's celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Monday, August 25, 2025 @7pm, at the Island Hall

Our new cookbook "A Taste of Chebeague" is back in stock after depleting our first printing in a few short weeks!  The cookbook contains over 200 recipes from 130 Chebeague cooks and a century of photos of Chebeague people and places. They make a great holiday gift. Pick up your copy from the museum shop or online here plus shipping and handling.

Ellsworth Miller Series Lecture on August 25 John Mann, author of The Ulster Scots on the Maine Coast, will discuss the history of the Ulster Scots in Maine, and Scots Irish Revolutionary War Patriots’ Maine connections, on August 25, at 7 PM at the Hall. A Taste of Chebeague: A Maine Island Community Cookbook A Taste of Chebeague: A Maine Island Community Cookbook, just published, is already in its second printing!

Monday, July 28, 2025 at 7:00 PM The Chebeague Island Historical Society presents the Ellsworth Miller Memorial Lecture by Phill Merril entitled Canada and the USA The Way We Were. In-person only at the Island Hall.

CIHS Names Its 2025 Volunteers of the Year CIHS held its Annual Membership Meeting on June 21st.  Members heard a review of the past 12 months and upcoming plans, followed by the Ellsworth Miller Lecture Series, presenting Donna Miller Damon and her talk on "Chebeague's Revolutionary War Connections." A highlight of the meeting was the special announcement of 2025 Volunteers of the Year award.

Gift Shop Open Anne Brenton, manager of the CIHS Gift Shop, says “We're excited to see our friends from near and far this summer. We look forward to your museum visit and to show you our exciting shop merchandise!” The 2025 hours begin with an early bird weekend: June 14, 10-4 and June 15, 10-1. Regular season hours, beginning on June 21, will be Wednesday through Saturdays, 10-4, Sundays 10-1, and Mondays 10-4.

The Historical Society Cookbook is here. You can buy it at the Museum shop or online. See Museum shop hours here. We are closed on July 4th. Hundreds of recipes from 130 of Chebeague's great cooks. Illustrated with a century of Chebeague photos. "It's far more than a cookbook, made into something even more fabulous by the amazing pictures. From cover to cover... it is just the essence of Chebeague!" - Mary Cushman Order yours today!

Amordale, also known as the Bell Farm, was built by Benjamin Mitchell around 1807 on land purchased from John Waite. After his death the homestead passed to his daughter, Sarah Fogg Mitchell. She married William Seabury and had four children, one of whom was Mary Adelaide “Addie”. In 1895, Addie bought the homestead from her siblings. Addie was first married to Captain Philip Gorman, with whom she had her only daughter, Mildred.

We look forward to seeing you back at the museum exhibit and store with new and returning merchandise! Check out our new apparel, drinkware, new book selections for adults and children, and other fun and interesting items.  We open for the season as follows Saturday, June 14, 10-4 Sunday, June 15, 1-4 June 16- 20 - closed Our summer hours begin June 21: Wednesdays through Saturdays, 10-4 Sundays 1-4 Mondays 10-4 closed Tuesdays. 

The Historical Society will present Chebeague’s Memorial Day program on Monday, May 26, at 1 p.m. at the Church. This year’s program will focus on the period between the end of WW2 and the Vietnam War. We want to be inclusive, so if you, a relative, a friend - anyone connected to Chebeague - served during this period, we need a photo and/or information about his/her branch of the service, years served, and if the veteran was stationed in Korea during the Korean War. 

I hope you are all having a lovely spring and are looking forward to summer on the island like we are. The Spring Sloops Log should be arriving in members' and island residents’ mailboxes. Thank you to all our supporters and contributors. In the interim, here is the Mystery photo. Good luck! Where is this taken? What are the buildings in the background? Can you name any of the women in this photo? Send answers to research@chebeaguehistory.org

Join Donna Damon and Michael Hamilton for Jane's Walk, a free walk and talk, on Sat. May 3 at 10:45. Learn about the evolution of the East End Point from Indigenous enclave to the transformation of Uncle Jack's farm into an early 20th century summer resort, only to be reinvented once again during World War 2! Email cihsresearch@gmail.com to sign up.

Jane's Walk Saturday, May 3, 2025, Jane's Walk led by Donna Miller Damon and Michael Hamilton, “Change Happens: The Evolution of an Island Farm from its Indigenous Roots to Tourism and World War 2.” We will meet on the road in front of 3 South Road at 10:45 a.m. The walk will include a discussion of Indigenous roots, farming, fishing, tourism, transportation, and military occupation on the East End Point on Chebeague Island.

Jane’s Walk, 2025 led by Donna Miller Damon and Michael Hamilton "Change Happens: The Evolution of an Island Farm from its Indigenous Roots to Tourism and World War 2" Saturday, May 3 at 10:45 am. We will meet on the road in front of 3 South Road. The walk will include a discussion of Indigenous roots, farming, fishing, tourism, transportation, and military occupation on the East End Point on Chebeague Island.

We are happy to announce that the video from Donna and Karen's January 18 lecture has been posted to this website. You can find it here. Watch this site for news on upcoming lectures. We will post news as soon as it is available.

While winter is showing its might the Museum is getting ready for summer, and we need your help and are seeking volunteers! Read more in our March Newsletter.

Ice skating, Chebeague-Long Island connections, and mystery photos highlight the February Newsletter. Read more