Matinicus Isle, Maine
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Matinicus Isle is a plantation in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 51 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the plantation has a total area of 275.8 km² (106.5 mi²). 4.1 km² (1.6 mi²) of it is land and 271.7 km² (104.9 mi²) of it (98.49%) is water.
[edit] Culture
Matinicus has a turbulent and often violent history. There is a long history of islanders defying inshore authorities and doing whatever they "damn well please." Ebenezer Hall and the Native Americans came to an agreement that he could farm Matinicus but that he wouldn't burn the fields of the adjacent islands. (In the 18th Century, fire was used to clear land for farming.) When Hall decided to burn the adjacent islands anyway the Native Americans first went to the Royal Authorities in Boston and when Hall ignored them, the Indians killed him on June 10, 1757. Hall is buried in the vicinity of the so-called "store well." A historical marker bolted to a ledge states that Hall was "killed by the Indians" on this date.
The almost 250 years that have transpired since then have been equally violent. It is not uncommon for visiting sailboats to be shot at and the Maine State Police are under orders not to be on the island after dark. Several boating magazines have listed Matinicus as a "hostile harbor" and locals openly refer to it as a "pirate island." The State of Maine gave up on enforcing vehicle laws on Matinicus in the 1950s and license plates (and brakes) are optional on the badly rusted vehicles that ply the island's roads.
The island has a strong Christian presence and a routine stop for the Maine Seacoast Mission's Sunbeam. The island has one church which was built in 1808 and all island residents are somewhat affiliated with it. This and an unwritten law to assist anyone in trouble leads to island fishermen being the first responders to all sorts of marine emergencies in Outer Penobscot Bay. On January 16, 1992 the Tugboat Harkness went down and it was a lobster boat from Matinicus that went out and found the three crewmen, this was reported in the March 1994 edition of the Reader's Digest. By contrast, Matinicus residents wish to be left alone and the island is a place where outsiders and tourists are not welcome . Gunfire can be heard with some degree of frequency and it is not uncommon for shots to be fired at trespassers. Well liked sports: shooting in to the woods, at seagulls, and buoys.
Drugs, particularly opiates, are a problem on Matinicus. Two island residents have died from Methadone overdoses and a migrant sternman died of a Heroin overdose inshore.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Matinicus was home to a branch of the World Church of the Creator, a hate group, in 2002 ([1]). The SPLC reported that the branch was closed by 2005.
[edit] Lobster Wars
Matinicus is often known for sometimes violent disputes between fishermen. The Rockland Italic textCourier GazetteItalic text newspaper reports that all island fishermen now carry loaded rifles and that on June 13, 2006 one fisherman fired two shots at another fisherman who attempted to run over his boat and then his son's boat. See http://www.courierpub.com/articles/2006/06/16/couriergazette/local_news/0news.txt
[edit] Christian Science Monitor Coverage
The Christian Science Monitor ran a two-part story on the violence of Matinicus Island. While the Monitor was unable to speak with all the parties involved (who refused comment at lawyer's advice), the two articles should be read by anyone planning to visit the island. See: http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0724/p20s01-lign.html and http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0725/p20s01-lign.html. Tourists are strongly cautioned that they are very much unwanted on the island and likely to be treated to a welcome similar to that described by the Monitor for a fisherman from away.
[edit] Weather
Matinicus weather is unpredictable and often harsh. It is not uncommon for hurricane-force winds to blow for several days and sometimes there is unabated fog from June to October. While recent weather has been mild, historical weather patterns indicate that weather can be extreme. Winter storms are the most destructive, the last one of significance was in 1978.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 51 people, 26 households, and 13 families residing in the plantation. The population density was 12.3/km² (31.8/mi²). There were 135 housing units at an average density of 32.6/km² (84.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the plantation was 100.00% White.
There were 26 households out of which 15.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, and 46.2% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.96 and the average family size was 2.57.
In the plantation the population was spread out with 15.7% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 39.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 121.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 126.3 males.
The median income for a household in the plantation was $32,500, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $40,000 versus $41,250 for females. The per capita income for the plantation was $15,537. There were no families and 11.8% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 50.0% of those over 64.
