Before highways connected towns and cities together, the easiest way to move around coastal Maine was by boat. Island communities were in some ways less isolated than they are today. Islanders, many who made their living from the maritime trades, moved from island to island routinely. Peaks, House, and Monhegan Islands were linked by several island families.

The Fifth Maine Memorial Hall sits on a sliver of land just one-third of an acre in size. The southern boundary is essentially the ocean itself, which is so close that the waves toss rocks up onto the lawn from time to time. Many people don’t realize that behind the building, tucked in between the museum and the ocean, is a meticulously designed seaside garden. It is completely hidden from the street.

The Fifth Maine Memorial Hall, home of the Fifth Maine Museum, commands a rocky sliver of land overlooking Ryefield Cove, Whitehead Passage, and the famous Whitehead Cliffs on the eastern end of Cushing Island. These cliffs, which feature the profile of a human face when seen from the right angle, rise over 100 feet straight out of the ocean, and are one of the highest points in Casco Bay. In the late 19^th century, they were a trendy subject for landscape painters and photographers to capture.

To the right of the walkway as you approach the Fifth Maine Museum lies a hefty oval boulder, its surface relatively smooth aside from the modest inscription “FIFTH MAINE VOLUNTEERS 1861-1865.”  This is the Memorial Boulder, and it’s been on the lawn of the Fifth Maine building for over 110 years.

Newspapers, clippings, and scrapbooks are well-represented in the collection of the Fifth Maine Museum. Until very recently people got the majority of their news from local papers and magazines.  Stories from the magnificent to the mundane filled the pages, often amply illustrated with engravings (in the 19^th century) and photographs (in the 20^th).

The museum received a terrific new acquisition today! The circa 1790 Henry Trefethen family desk returned to Peaks Island, a gift from Trefethen descendant, Charles Blackman. A group of board members and other volunteers safely moved it into the building where it is now on exhibit. Come take a look!

Even before the “official” start of the 2019 season, the Fifth Maine Museum hosted seven school field trips. Local students ranging in age from fourth grade through twelfth enjoyed the combination of a ferry boat ride and an engaging museum visit.

George Bicknell joined the Fifth Maine Regiment as a private, was promoted to company sergeant after just four months, later second lieutenant, then first lieutenant and regimental adjutant. He was a seasoned soldier, devoted to his comrades in arms, and a champion of the “Tough Old Fifth.”

Even before the “official” start of the 2019 season, the Fifth Maine Museum hosted seven school field trips. Local students ranging in age from fourth grade through twelfth enjoyed the combination of a ferry boat ride and an engaging museum visit.

The Fifth Maine Museum’s new exhibit, Peaks Island in the 1970s: Building a Community, opened to rave reviews during Peaks Fest. The exhibit displays previously unseen pieces from the museum’s collection, as well as photographs and objects borrowed from community members who lived on Peaks Island during the 1970s.

The Board of Directors has launched a “Raise the Roof” campaign to fund the re-roofing of the entire building during the fall of 2019. After soliciting several bids, the building committee reports that the project will cost approximately $75,000.