Your Weekly Guide to Life in Midcoast Maine

BY KELLY MICHAUD, EDITOR

On a map, Clark Island looks like any other island that freckles Maine’s coast. Traveling down Route 73 in St. George, only a road sign marks the destination. If you’ve never heard of the island, it would be easy to pass the road and not give it a second thought. But if you take this road, you’ll find a secluded, beautiful spot.

Once you get to the end, right past the Craignair Inn, the road closes to traffic. Wild rose bushes lines both the road and the small granite causeway that leads to the island. When the tide is right, you can get off the bridge and walk in the sand or water, build sand castles, relax — whatever makes you happy.

At the end of the causeway is a lone house that stands at the entrance of Clark Island. Beyond it are trails that wind through fields, stately pines and other trees and fragrant wild flowers. In a few places it was evident where deer traipsed through. A few of the trails led me to different granite quarries. Standing on the edge of one of the quarries and looking out and over the tree line I could see the ocean. Large slabs of granite and trees make the quarry secluded and private. Some of the rocks that border the area are a perfect spot to sit for a picnic or to lay back and sunbathe.

A whole day could be spent exploring these trails, swimming in the water or laying in the field and relaxing. I was only there for a short period of time, just to have a quick look, but I was hesitant to leave. I didn’t have a chance to open up a blanket and look up at the sky as the sun beat down. Hopefully I will get the opportunity sometime soon.

This island is still untouched and has a great deal of history. One side of the island is built up with granite walls that form a pier. In the early 1900s, ships used to dock there and load up on granite that had been cut from the quarry. The operation stopped more than 70 years ago when workers struck water and it filled up and was never used again. Evidence of the quarry operation abounds. The rock pier still has steel or iron spikes where the tug boats used to tie up. And large slabs of granite still have ridges in them from where they were cut.
Opposite the island, on the Clark Island peninsula, even more granite was taken. Operations there continued until 1969, when a fire destroyed the building that housed all the tools for the operation.

“At the time the quarry was at its peak was in the late 1930s and 40s,” said Arnold Hocking of Thomaston. Hocking’s father was superintendent of the quarry during the 1940s. “About 300 men worked there and they shipped out about 1,500 tons of paving blocks by barge a day.” The island and quarry operations were owned by John Meehan & Sons out of New York and Philadelphia, Hocking said.
Hocking and his brother took over the operation of the quarry until the fire destroyed everything. Granite had been taken from the area since the early 1900s, before the island was serviced by electricity, Hocking said, and everything was operated by steam or compressed air.
Historical evidence, beautiful scenery and solitude make Clark Island a worthwhile destination.

No camping, no bikes and no unleashed dogs are allowed on the island and there are very few places to park a vehicle. If you’re lucky, you may find a suitable spot on the side of the road. And make sure you carry out anything you bring in so the island stays as beautiful as you found it.