Islesford Historical Museum on Little Cranberry Island, part of Acadia National Park

The Islesford Historical Museum on Little Cranberry Island has been part of Acadia National Park since 1948. It is typically open from mid-June through the end of September. Hours very per month. See the Islesford Historical Museum website for the current schedule. There is no charge for admission.

Information desk at the Islesford Historical Museum on Little Cranberry Island, part of Acadia National Park

The Islesford Historical Museum was established in 1928 by William Otis Sawtelle, a professor and summer resident. The museum covers the modern human history (mid-1800s to present) of Great Cranberry and Little Cranberry islands, collectively known as the Cranberry Islands. Much of its focus on the colorful personalities who make the islands home, particularly residents and  boat captains, but there is also information of the evolution of transportation to and from the islands, common types of boats seen on the surrounding waters, and the boat industry, ship wrecks, the tourist and fishing industries. Maritime artifacts accompany information panels throughout the museum.

Exhibits in the Islesford Historical Museum about boating and popular boat captains of the Cranberry Islands, Acadia National Park

Exhibits in the Islesford Historical Museum about the Cranberry Islands tourist industry in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Acadia National Park

Maritime artifacts on display in the Islesford Historical Museum on Little Cranberry Island, Acadia National Park

One room is dedicated to modern life on the islands, such has where children go to school, how supplies are brought to the islands, and how residents spend their time.

Modern Life exhibit in the Isleford Historical Museum on Little Cranberry Island, Acadia National Park

National Park Service Rangers and volunteers are on duty to answer any questions and to give short talks throughout the day.

Ranger gives a talk at the Islesford Historical Museum on Little Cranberry Island, part of Acadia National Park

Being an island, it takes a boat to get to Little Cranberry. Options are private boats, water taxis, the mail boat, or a daily excursion run by Princess Cruises out of Northeast Harbor, which is how I got to the island. The excursion is three hours long, but only an hour is spent on the island. Depending on your reason for visiting, this may not be enough time (it is enough for the museum). There are other activities and places to visit in the town of Islesford other than the museum. All are within walking distance of the dock.

As for the Princess Cruises tour, it is offered twice a day from mid-May through mid-October. There is a fee, and tickets can be purchased on the Sea Princess website. From the Tours menu, choose either the Acadia National Park Morning Cruise or Acadia National Park Afternoon Cruise. Both include a tour guide who provides information during the boat ride. Once on the island, you are free to wander as you like.

The cruise departs from Northeast Harbor at an easy to access marina with plenty of free parking in the General Parking Lot next to the tennis courts (there is a permit parking area as well). Once there, look for the Visitor Information building, one of two at the dock. Inside you can purchase a ticket or register that you have arrived if you booked a ticket online. There is no pre-registration deadline, so you can jump on board up until the boat pulls away from the dock (Sea Princess does suggest arriving a half hour before the departure time is possible).

Passengers at Northeast Harbor in Maine waiting to board the boat to Little Cranberry Island

Northeast Harbor on Mount Desert Island in Maine

While the tour ultimately stops at Little Cranberry Island, for me the fun was just cruising the bay and taking in the sights. The guide narrates the tour all the way to the island, pointing out the owners of various mansions along the shore, discussing the lobster industry, and providing information about the natural history of the area.

Sailboat in Northeast Harbor in Maine

The tour passes the Bear Island Lighthouse on Bear Island. A lighthouse has stood on this spot since 1839, though the current lighthouse was built in 1889. The National Park Service acquired the property in 1987 and now leases it out to a private individual who lives in the lightkeeper’s house, also built in 1889.

Bear Island Lighthouse on Bear Island in Maine

Another interesting feature is an osprey nest that first appeared in the 1920s; it is no longer used. Another similar nest that weighed close to a ton was removed by the Coast Guard. The bird poop basically formed a cement, and those removing it had to wear HAZMAT suits.

Abandoned osprey nest near Bear Island in Maine

There are plenty of “cottages” along the shore. Of course you’d have to be very rich to call one of these a cottage, for they are mansions to everyone else.

Mansion on the coast of Northeast Harbor on Mount Desert Island in Maine

Mansion on the coast of Northeast Harbor on Mount Desert Island in Maine

Mansion on the coast of Northeast Harbor on Mount Desert Island in Maine

There is a large lobster industry in Maine, and you’ll see many lobster boats in the harbor. The overfishing of cod, the main predator of lobsters, has allowed lobsters to thrive in these waters. The Ranger said that the seabed is crawling with them, yet the price of a lobster dinner, even on Mount Desert Island, is sky high. It is interesting to note that back in the early 1800s that lobster was considered a junk fish in New England and only eaten by the poor. It wasn’t until New Yorkers and Bostonians of the mid-1800s began to eat them that lobster became a delicacy. This was also around the time that refrigeration made it possible to transport live lobsters to these major cities.

Lobster boats near Mount Desert Island in Maine

The boat passes a few spots where seals like to sun themselves, but none were around when we passed by. However, I did see some in the water.

Seal in the waters off of Mount Desert Island in Maine

There is no guided tour once on Little Cranberry Island, so participants are just left to wander the town of Islesford on their own for an hour.  If you don’t get back before the boat departs, you will be left behind. Water taxis service the island, but you’ll have to foot the bill for one.

Walking around the town of Islesford on Little Cranberry Island in Maine

In addition to the Islesford Historical Museum, there are a few shops, art galleries, and restaurants at the wharf. Of historical interested is Islesford Congregational Church that was built in 1898.

Islesford Congregational Church on Little Cranberry Island in Maine

The most interesting feature of the church is a stained glass window that is dedicated to local residents who fought in the War for the Union. This is one of the many names for what we now call the Civil War, a term that wasn’t widely used until the early 1900s.

Stained glass window dedicated to Islesford Civil War veterans inside the Islesford Congregational Church on Little Cranberry Island in Maine

Interior of the Islesford Congregational Church on Little Cranberry Island in Maine

Interior of the Islesford Congregational Church on Little Cranberry Island in Maine

There are around eighty permanent residents on Little Cranberry Island. Fishing is the primary industry, particularly lobstering. Roughly a third of the residents work as lobstermen. The dock is populated with lobster boats, and traps are piled high everywhere you look.

Lobster traps on the dock at Little Cranberry Island

Lobster boat prepares to depart from Little Cranberry Island in Maine

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