This wooded 43 acre parcel, on the southern part of the island, was acquired by the Trust in 1988 with contributions from Birch Island property owners. Largely an interior property, it has some 1000 feet of shore frontage along Duck Cove on the east and very limited shorefront on Mere Point Bay to the west, and shorefront on a small cove at the extreme southern end. The Preserve remains in a substantially undisturbed natural state, has aesthetic, scientific and ecological value, and provides scenic enjoyment from the waters of Middle Bay. It is an active nesting area for osprey and other sea and shore birds, and the habitat of diverse indigenous flora and fauna.
Under the terms of the purchase agreement, the Preserve is to be kept forever wild as a bird, game and plant sanctuary. Use is limited to research, passive recreation and conservation purposes only.
Public Access: Limited to members of the Birch Island South Association and the Birch Island Corporation, and qualified observers, researchers and others with written permission from HHLT.
Rules of Use
1. Open dawn to dusk only.
2. Pedestrian use only. No motor vehicles or bicycles.
3. Carry in, carry out
4. Take only pictures. Leave only footprints.
5. No open fires or camping.
6. Hunting is allowed. Wear blaze orange and take appropriate precautions during hunting season.
7. Please respect the adjacent landowner's privacy.
Acquired: 1988
Property Owner: HHLT
Easement Holder: None
Other
1. From the Harpswell Historical Society & Harpswell Heritage Trust Newsletter, April 1988
"Birch Island occupies an important place in Harpswell's history. The island was first used by the Indians of the Abenaki tribes, who traveled down the Androscoggin River to set up summer fishing camps on the coastal islands. According to Topsham historian, Richard Snow, there is a possibility that there are Indian mounds near Duck Cove, not too far from the property deeded to the Trust. Snow says the first white settler on the island was Walter Merriman, who arrived in the 1740's. Another early Harpswell family, the Skolfields, first came to this area to cut timber on Birch Island. There were probably 10-12 families living on the island in the early 1800's, cutting wood, farming and fishing. The Durgin boatyard at the north end of the island built a sailboat for Harpswell's Elijah Kellogg. The Town maintained a school there until about 1845. By the 1890's, businessmen from Brunswick and school teachers from Arlington, Massachusetts, began to summer on the island, arriving by steamer. Many of their cottages were built by Chester Booker. In the 1920's and 1930's the island also supported camps for boys and girls.
Charlie Johnson's family maintained a working farm on the island, selling wood, ice, milk, and vegetables to the summer residents. The farm was sold in 1955, however, and much of the island is now grown over. In the 1980's, several major subdivisions have been proposed or are in progress on the island."
2. From a 12/31/1988 Press Release by the Harpswell Historical Society.
"Birch Island totals some 300 acres. It lies 650 yards off the southeast shore of Brunswick's Mere Point and twice that from Lookout Point in Harpswell. The island is said to have been the site of the first permanent settlement in Casco Bay. It was near the mainland but protected by a natural moat. The Town of Harpswell operated a school there as it did on other islands during the 100 years from the founding of theTown in 1758 to the middle of the 19th century. Then, according to legend (untrue, say the historians) the 15 families on Birch Island pulled up stakes and joined the California Gold Rush.
"Whatever the reason, the population declined. There have been no year-round residents since 1955. Hay was cut from some of the best fields for one more year, but now most of the farms have gone back to forest."