Vinalhaven Island (Images of America)

By: The Vinalhaven Historical Society

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Synopsis: Located in Penobscot Bay, Vinalhaven Island is a land mass about 10 by 5 miles, with the town situated on Carvers' Harbor, 15 miles from the mainland. Always a working community, Vinalhaven presently serves as one of the largest lobstering centers in the world. Islanders, summer residents, visitors, and other interested persons on the mainland and elsewhere are invited to partake of this striking photographic record of the island as it was between 1860 and 1960. Contained within are classic views that bring to life the island's ongoing fishing and granite industries. Some show the enormous columns for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City being cut and polished; others document the carving of the eagles for the Buffalo, NY, Post Office. Lesser-known occupations are portrayed as well, like the making of horse nets, which employed many women. Readers are given the rare opportunity to meet such people as granite company operator Moses Webster; Joseph Bodwell (a Maine governor); Edward Russell (from Ireland) and Joseph Black (from Scotland); and O.P. Lyons, founder of the first local newspaper and band.