Alliance for Sears Island

The Alliance for Sears Island and Friends of Sears Island are collecting stories and reminiscences of Sears Island, with a focus on memories from before the causeway was constructed in 1988, and we need your help!

We know that Sears Island and the sandbar that connected it with Kidder Point at half-tide were important for clamming, fishing, hunting, picnics and other pursuits for thousands of years before the present. First-person narratives of those experiences from the pre-causeway era can shed light on the significance of Sears Island. The Sears Island Oral History Project will collect and preserve those memories. Have you heard stories of people crossing the sandbar to Sears Island to hunt, fish, or explore? Or perhaps in your younger years you yourself used the sandbar or island. We are looking for people to share their stories so they can be preserved for generations – and help us protect the island forever.

The Friends of Sears Island and the Alliance for Sears Island, working with a professional audio producer/historian, will collect stories and pictures from volunteer narrators, saving multiple interviews in archival-quality video, audio and written format.

For example, Hannah Gower, the main character in Maine author R.M. Briar’s young adult novel That Summer in Maine: A Story of Tides, Trust, and Growing Up, finds adventure on Sears Island when the connecting sandbar became covered by high tide. The story is based on Briar’s own experiences growing up in Searsport.

The Sears Island Oral History project anticipates two phases. Phase one includes collecting stories about the island and its surrounding area. During phase two, selected stories and images will be woven into an extended commentary on Sears Island’s key geographical, cultural and ecological place at the confluence of the Penobscot River and Bay. This second phase will create a powerful film to help permanently protect the island for all generations.

If you spent time at Sears Island, the Kidder Point sandbar, Long Cove and/or Stockton Harbor before 1988, we want to hear from you! Reach out to us at allianceforsearsisland@gmail.com and we’ll be in touch with you to set up a time to discuss your stories.