View of Monhegan and the steamer "May Archer," ca. 1915

Contributed by Penobscot Marine Museum

View of Monhegan and the steamer "May Archer," ca. 1915

Description

The "May Archer," the first regular passenger ferry to Monhegan, was in service during the summer months from 1907 to 1916. Vessels more suitable for travel in winter weather were employed to deliver the mail from November to April.

Monhegan began to change rapidly during this time from a remote fishing village to a summer tourist destination. New homes for summer residents began to be constructed outside the village on the south side of the island. The four-story building with dormers was the Albee House Hotel, later the Monhegan House; the water tanks that supplied it were on the far left.

A notoriously unpleasant voyage to Monhegan on the "May Archer" inspired Clara Fuller to write a poem, "Song of Hate to the 'May Archer'" in 1915:

May you sail a sea of fire
And be wracked as you’ve racked me
Your bow be split and your stern be hit

And may you burn eternally
Rank as your own bilge-water
Cruel as a step-mother’s love
Had I, by heck, the Fates at beck,
Each day you’d land, on some far strand, a
Rotten roisterous wreck.

View/Add Comments

About This Item

  • Title: View of Monhegan and the steamer "May Archer," ca. 1915
  • Creator: Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co.
  • Creation Date: circa 1915
  • Subject Date: circa 1915
  • Location: Monhegan, Lincoln County, ME
  • Media: Glass Plate Negative
  • Dimensions: 12.7 cm x 17.8 cm
  • Local Code: LB2014.1.122829
  • Collection: Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co.
  • Object Type: Image

Cross Reference Searches

Standardized Subject Headings

People

Other Keywords

For more information about this item, contact:

Penobscot Marine Museum
PO Box 498, 5 Church Street, Searsport, ME 04974
(207) 548-2529
Website
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted More Info

This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. No Permission is required to use the low-resolution watermarked image for educational use, or as allowed by the applicable copyright. For all other uses, permission is required.

How to cite content on this site

Please post your comment below to share with others. If you'd like to privately share a comment or correction with MMN staff, please send us a message with this link.