Features and History

The larger part of the peninsula located at the extreme southern part of Knox County is occupied by the Town of St. George. In addition to the peninsula, a considerable number of islands assist in making up the town's approximate 11,000 acres. The more important of these islands are Whitehead Island, Clark Island, High Island, Northern Island, Southern Island, Mosquito Island, Hupper's Island, Allen Island and Burnt Island.

The Town of St. George is made up of numerous villages or settlements, namely; Port Clyde, Martinsville, Tenants Harbor, Willardham, Wildcat, Long Cove, St. George (Wiley's Corner), Glenmere, Elmore (Harts Neck), Wallston (Gabbletown), Clark Island, and Spruce Head. The seat of town government is at Tenants Harbor, which is the largest of the villages and, perhaps, the most centrally located. Most people identify the area with a village name rather than the town name of St. George.

The coast of this town was once protected by three lighthouses; one at Whitehead to guide the way through Mussel Ridge Channel; one at Southern Island to mark the entrance to Tenants Harbor; and one at Marshall Point at the entrance to Port Clyde harbor. At Whitehead Island there was also a lifesaving station, and a second station was located on Burnt Island at the mouth of the St. George River.

In May 1605 Capt. George Waymouth landed at Monhegan and then explored the area in and around the present town of St. George. Throughout the 1600s there were trading posts and attempts at settlement in the area of the St. George River, but no permanent settlements began until the mid-1700s. Most of the early settlers to the area were Scotch-Irish from Dunbar's settlement and many moved here from MA via Bristol, ME.

The area was also settled by descendants of the Massachusetts Bay colonists in search of new frontier land and greener pastures.

Ship builders, sea captains and sailors have lived and worked in this town. The granite industry has provided jobs for stone cutters, quarry workers and paving cutters, some of them coming from Ireland, England, Scotland, Sweden and Finland to work in the quarries. They worked in the quarries located at Spruce Head, Clark Island, Long Cove, States Point, and Wild Cat. The fishing industry has always been a mainstay for the people of St. George, and the industry is still going strong and provides jobs for local residents. Summer visitors began coming to the area almost 100 years ago and today over half of the town is owned by non-residents.

Courtesy of John Falla