Maridee Stone lives in Tucson, Arizona
Hope Hare lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts
William Mooney lives in Oyster Bay, New York
Mary Drew lives in London, England
Shaunagh Robbins lives in Honolulu, Hawaii
Benjamin Hammond lives in Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Binney and Norbert W. Peabo live in Cambridge, England
Kenneth Robbins lives in Honolulu, Hawaii
Priscilla Cobb lives in Belmont, Massachusetts
Rona Packer lives in Escondido, California
Nathan Ames lives in Milford, Delaware
Henry Minot lives in Dover, Massachusetts
All of these people are neighbors.
On the island of North Haven, in Penobscot Bay. Specifically, a small peninsula on the southeast side of the island called Indian Point.
About 350 people live on North Haven year-round, but every summer, the island’s population triples, and over 80% of the housing stock on the island is owned by people who live out of state and visit only seasonally.
Landowners from 27 different states and countries own coastal parcels.
Ghost Line maps every single coastal parcel on 12 island communities in Maine. Using publicly available tax maps and commitments lists, the project identifies the landowner of each coastal parcel, and where they list their permanent address.
On these 12 islands, there is 2,468,494 ft of coastline, owned by people living in 49 different states and 11 countries.
2,024,528 ft of coastline, or 82%, is owned by people whose permanent residence is not listed as on-island. Collectively, this accounts for 2,081 coastal parcels.
443,966 ft of coastline, or 18%, is owned by people whose permanent residence is listed as on-island. Collectively this accounts for 705 coastal parcels.
Coastal Landowners on islands in Maine and their permanent residency location
The project recognizes that the “ownership” of these coastal parcels comes after thousands of years of use, occupation, and stewardship by Wabanaki people.
The collection of maps and the proposed exhibit explores the seasonal occupation of these islands. The project seeks to highlight and celebrate the ways that coastal areas are used today, and the overlapping agendas of that use.