Spurred by a tragic fire in which much of the Island’s recorded history burned to the ground, the Swan’s Island Memory Project aims to revive recollections of the small Maine Island through recorded histories and historical photographs.
On July 24, 2008, the Swan’s Island Library went up in flames, and with it many books, island artifacts, tape recordings, and historical photographs disappeared forever. Numerous physical records of the small Maine Island’s past were destroyed in the fire, sparking a renewed interest among locals to revive memories of Swan’s Island.
The Swan’s Island Memory Project arose from a partnership between the Swan’s Island Historical Society and the Island Institute’s Fellows program. Megan Vigeant, the Island Institute fellow, came to the island in November of 2009 to launch the memory project. Project staff and community members worked together to gather stories, photos, and artifacts from Island locals to piece together the history of the island.
For two years, Megan and her memory project advisors worked to compile oral histories from Islanders. They conducted interviews, recorded tales, and edited audio tapes to create a library of stories about Swan’s Island. Volunteers also helped collect historical photographs and scan these into a digital photo collection, available online, to forever keep memories of Swan’s Island alive. These photos from locals and from state archives help the Island revive its past, much of which was destroyed in the 2008 fire.
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