Islesford, Maine

A church in Islesford

Islesford is a small hamlet located on Little Cranberry Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. It is one of the five islands of the town of Cranberry Isles, Maine. It lies in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Mount Desert Island, which is home to Acadia National Park.

Travelers can reach the island village via the Beal and Bunker mail boat & ferry service that runs from the village of Northeast Harbor in the town of Mount Desert, Maine; the Cranberry Cove Boating ferry service from Southwest Harbor and Manset; and during the summer on various water taxis including 'Cadillac Water Taxi", and "Delight," both leaving from various harbors.

The island also hosts several seasonal cultural venues including the Islesford Dock Gallery and Restaurant, Islesford Artists Fine Art Gallery, The Islesford Congregational Church, (housing the famed 'Sea Glass Windows' by artist, Ashley Bryan), and the Islesford Historical Museum, which is part of Acadia National Park. In 1980, the museum was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Islesford is on Little Cranberry Island, one of five islands that comprise the Town of Cranberry Isles. In 2013 the year round population was about sixty-five. Islesford is home to the town's two-room public school, "The Ashley Bryan School". The school is the first Maine public school to be named, in 2011, for a Visual Artist as well as an African-American. In 2013 the school had 12 students grades K - 8th grade, with two full-time teachers. The Ashley Bryan School is one of six one and two-room island schools that make up the inter-island, "Outer Island Teaching and Learning Collaborative". This collaboration allows for remote 'live' teaching and learning among schools and students on Matinicus Island, Monhegan Island, Isle au Haut, Cliff Island, Frenchboro, and The Ashley Bryan School in the Cranberry Islands.

External links

• http://www.islesford.com/
• Life on an Island: Early Settlers Off the Rock-Bound Coast of Maine, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan

Municipalities and communities of Hancock County, Maine, United States County seat: Ellsworth City Ellsworth Towns Amherst Aurora Bar Harbor Blue Hill Brooklin Brooksville Bucksport Castine Cranberry Isles Dedham Deer Isle Eastbrook Franklin Frenchboro Gouldsboro Great Pond Hancock Lamoine Mariaville Mount Desert Orland Osborn Otis Penobscot Sedgwick Sorrento Southwest Harbor Stonington Sullivan Surry Swan's Island Tremont Trenton Verona Island Waltham Winter Harbor Unorganized territories Central Hancock East Hancock Northwest Hancock CDPs Bar Harbor Blue Hill Bucksport Castine Southwest Harbor Winter Harbor Other villages Bass Harbor Bernard Birch Harbor Corea Harborside Hulls Cove Islesford Manset Minturn Northeast Harbor Otter Creek Prospect Harbor Salisbury Cove Sargentville Seal Cove Seal Harbor Sunset

Coordinates: 44°15′43″N 68°14′02″W / 44.26194°N 68.23389°W / 44.26194; -68.23389