Editing Isle au Haut, Maine

{{Short description| Town in the state of Maine, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Isle au Haut, Maine
|settlement_type          = [[New England town|Town]]
|nickname                 =
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Birch Point, Isle au Haut, ME.jpg
|imagesize                =
|image_caption            = Birch Point and Burnt Island Thoroughfare {{circa|1908}}
|image_flag               =
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = Knox County Maine incorporated and unincorporated areas Isle au Haut highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 260px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Knox County, Maine|Knox County]] and the state of [[Maine]]
|pushpin_map              = USA
|pushpin_map_caption      = Location within the [[United States]]
|pushpin_relief           = yes

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Maine]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Maine|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Knox County, Maine|Knox]]
|parts_type               = Villages
|parts                    = Isle&nbsp;Au&nbsp;Haut<br />Lookout
|government_footnotes     =
|government_type          =
|leader_title             =
|leader_name              =
|leader_title1            =
|leader_name1             =
|established_title        = Incorporated
|established_date         = 1874

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name ="Gazetteer files"/>
|area_magnitude           =
|area_total_km2           = 293.19
|area_land_km2            = 32.43
|area_water_km2           = 260.76
|area_total_sq_mi         = 113.20
|area_land_sq_mi          = 12.52
|area_water_sq_mi         = 100.68

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = <ref name ="Trotter"/>
|population_total         = 92
|population_density_km2   = 3.2
|population_density_sq_mi = 1.2

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|elevation_footnotes      =
|elevation_m              = 0
|elevation_ft             = 0
|coordinates              = {{coord|44|3|32|N|68|37|1|W|region:US-ME|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 04645
|area_code                = [[Area code 207|207]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 23-35135
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0582530
|website                  =
|footnotes                =
}}
'''Isle au Haut''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|aɪ|.|l|ə|.|h|oʊ}}) is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Knox County, Maine]], United States, on an [[island]] of the same name in [[Penobscot Bay]]. The population was 92 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="Trotter">{{Cite news|last=Trotter |first=Bill |title=More people have moved to Maine's remote islands in the last decade |newspaper=Bangor Daily News |date=August 20, 2021 |url=https://bangordailynews.com/2021/08/20/news/the-maine-islands-you-can-only-access-by-boat-or-plane-grew-8-percent-in-the-last-decade/|accessdate=August 20, 2021}}</ref> Home to portions of [[Acadia National Park]], Isle au Haut is accessible by ferry from [[Stonington, Maine|Stonington]]. The 6 mile ride takes about 45 minutes.

==History==

[[Image:Road Scene, Isle au Haut, ME.jpg|thumb|left|330 px|Road scene {{circa|1907}}]]
[[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] left behind [[shell mound]]s on the island following their [[oyster]] feasts. It was territory of the [[Penobscot people|Penobscot]] [[Abenaki]] [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indians]] when, in 1604, [[French people|French]] explorer [[Samuel de Champlain]] named it Isle au Haut, meaning High Island. [[English people|English]] [[John Smith of Jamestown|Capt. John Smith]], charting the coast in 1614, noted that it was the highest island in [[Penobscot Bay]]. It was included in Deer Isle Plantation, incorporated by [[Massachusetts General Court|Massachusetts]] on February 2, 1789, as the town of [[Deer Isle, Maine|Deer Isle]].<ref name=Coolidge>{{Cite book  | last = Coolidge  | first = Austin J.|author2=John B. Mansfield  | title = A History and Description of New England| publisher = A.J. Coolidge  | year = 1859| location = Boston, Massachusetts| pages = [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ/page/n137 103]–104| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ| quote = coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.  }}</ref>

In 1792, Henry Barter was granted land on the island, which by 1800 had a population of about 50 [[English people|English]] and [[Scottish people|Scottish]] settlers. They subsisted by raising [[sheep]], [[farming]] and [[fishing]]. In 1808, the island was the scene of a [[murder]] when [[smuggling|smugglers]] shot and killed a federal [[customs officer]].<ref>Joshua M. Smith, "Murder on Isle au Haut: Violence and Jefferson’s Embargo in Coastal Maine, 1808-1809," ''Maine History'' 39:1 (Spring 2000), 17-40.</ref> In the mid-19th century, the chief occupations were fishing and [[boatbuilder|boatbuilding]].<ref name="Coolidge"/> On February 28, 1874, Isle au Haut was set off from Deer Isle and incorporated as a town.<ref name="MAGDE">{{cite book |last= Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums |editor=Doris A. Isaacson |title=Maine: A Guide 'Down East' |year=1970 |publisher=Courier-Gazette, Inc. |location=Rockland, Me | pages = 347 }}</ref>

By the late 19th century, when the island's population reached about 275, a village had developed beside the Isle au Haut Thoroughfare separating Kimball Island. The 1880s brought an influx of "rusticators," seasonal inhabitants, often from [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]] and other big cities, who built vacation cottages at a private club at Point Lookout.<ref>{{Cite book | last1 =McLane | first1 = Charles B. | last2 = McLane | first2 = Carol Evarts | title = Islands of the Mid-Maine Coast  | publisher =Tilbury House & Island Institute   | year =1997  | pages =247–8   | isbn =0-88448-184-0 }}(Citing uneasy relation between the year-round locals and the summer rusticators at exclusive Point Lookout, and between locals and Acadia National Park officials.)</ref> In 1910, Isle au Haut had 178 year-round residents and 15 summer families. Some fishermen left when motors replaced sails to power boats, allowing them to operate more conveniently from the mainland. By 1935, the population had dropped to 75.<ref>[http://www.mainegenealogy.net/individual_place_record.asp?place=isle_au_haut Maine Genealogy: Isle au Haut, Knox County, Maine]</ref>

Today, [[lobster fishing]] remains the main industry, while the portions of [[Acadia National Park]] which cover about 60% of the island attract a few tourists. [[Vacation house]]s, although far fewer than those of the nearby [[summer colony|summer colonies]] of [[North Haven, Maine|North Haven]], [[Vinalhaven, Maine|Vinalhaven]] and [[Mount Desert Island]], more than double Isle au Haut's population during the summer. [[Linda Greenlaw]] wrote a book about it titled ''The Lobster Chronicles'' (2003).

Electricity came to the island in 1970, with telephone service in 1988.

==Geography==

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|113.20|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|12.52|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|100.68|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name ="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/gazetteer2010.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121220032143/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/gazetteer2010.html|archive-date=December 20, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Isle au Haut is an island approximately {{convert|6|mi|km}} long by {{convert|2|mi|km}} wide in [[Penobscot Bay]], part of the [[Gulf of Maine]] and [[Atlantic Ocean]].

[[File:Wet forest as is, Isle au Haut.jpg|thumb|right|An island forest]]
Mount Champlain, elevation {{convert|540|ft}}, is the highest point on the island, located on a north-south ridge occupying the island's center. Rocky Mountain, elevation {{convert|511|ft}}, and Sawyer Mountain, at {{convert|486|ft}}, are neighboring summits along the ridge to the south.<ref>U.S. Geological Survey. Isle au Haut, Maine, 7½-minute quadrangle. 1983</ref> The terrain consists of low hills covered by [[temperate coniferous forests]]; the coastline is mainly [[granite]] boulders, with a few rocky [[beach]]es and [[salt marsh]]es. Long Pond, a small freshwater lake, stretches down the eastern side of the island; being warmer and more sheltered than the surrounding ocean, it is used for recreation and one may occasionally see a [[float plane]], although no scheduled service is available.

==Demographics==

{{US Census population
|1830= 315
|1880= 274
|1890= 206
|1900= 182
|1910= 160
|1920= 102
|1930= 89
|1940= 97
|1950= 82
|1960= 68
|1970= 45
|1980= 57
|1990= 46
|2000= 79
|2010= 73
|2020= 92 
|footnote=<ref name="Trotter"/>
}}

===2010 census===

As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 16, 2012}}</ref> of 2010, there were 73 people, 42 households, and 17 families living in the town. The [[population density]] was {{convert|5.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 172 [[Dwelling|housing units]] at an average density of {{convert|13.7|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the town was 91.8% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.4% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 2.7% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.4% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], and 2.7% from two or more races.

There were 42 households, of which 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 19.0% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 11.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 59.5% were non-families. 45.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.74 and the average family size was 2.41.

The median age in the town was 49.5 years. 13.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.4% were from 25 to 44; 38.3% were from 45 to 64; and 23.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 57.5% male and 42.5% [[female]].

===2000 census===

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 79 people, 32 households, and 20 families living in the town. The population density was {{convert|6.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 164 housing units at an average density of {{convert|12.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 100.00% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]]. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 3.80% of the population. 19.7% were of [[French people|French]], 16.4% [[Irish people|Irish]], 11.5% [[Dutch people|Dutch]], 11.5% [[English people|English]], 11.5% [[scottish people|Scottish]] and 8.2% [[finnish people|Finnish]] ancestry according to [[Census 2000]].

There were 32 households, out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 3.1% had a female householder with no [[husband]] present, and 34.4% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.9 males. For every 100 [[females]] age 18 and over, there were 118.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $25,000, and the median income for a family was $34,167. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $16,563 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $11,723. 17.3% of the population lived below the [[poverty line]], though no families, no one under eighteen or over 65 did.

==Sites of interest==

* [[Isle au Haut Light]]

==Transportation==

There is a ferry to and from [[Stonington, Maine|Stonington]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.nps.gov/acad/isle-au-haut.htm| title = Isle au Haut - Acadia National Park (U.S. National Park Service)}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
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· Only people who already have a Wikipedia article may appear here. This establishes notability.
· The article must mention how they are associated with Isle au Haut, whether born, raised, or residing.
· The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited.
· Alphabetical by last name please.
· All others will be deleted.
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* [[Abel Douglass]], pioneer, sea captain
* [[Linda Greenlaw]], author, fisherman, captain

==References==

{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==

{{Commons category|Isle au Haut, Maine}}
* [http://www.librarytechnology.org/lwc-displaylibrary.pl?RC=19264 Revere Memorial Library]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000831172205/http://www.lighthouse.cc/isleauhaut/ Isle au Haut Light]}}
* [http://www.isleauhaut.com/ Isle au Haut ferries & island information]
* [http://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/upload/iahmap.pdf National Park Service trail map of Isle au Haut]

{{Knox County, Maine}}
{{Maine Islands}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isle Au Haut, Maine}}
[[Category:Islands of Knox County, Maine]]
[[Category:Towns in Knox County, Maine]]
[[Category:Acadia National Park]]
[[Category:Towns in Maine]]
[[Category:Islands of Maine]]
[[Category:Coastal islands of Maine]]