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The West End, Where Chebeague
Began
The West
End means many things to many people. To some folks it means
Deer Point or Chandlers Cove, while others think of the Cricks and Colemans
Cove as the West End. Rocky shores, mud
flats and sandy beaches provide geographical diversity, which creates a
metaphor for the human diversity that makes the West
End what it really has been and continues to be.
In the exhibit you will see an island community that grew so rapidly during
its first century of settlement that two school districts were created.
They in turn created two communities with a common heritage, but each had
its own identity. As Great Chebeague's population increased and the East End was settled, it became impractical for all
island students to attend the same school. Schools are centers of community
and create their own culture, and their neighborhoods create their own
distinctiveness. Simply put, this is what happened on Chebeague. However,
religion remained a unifying factor. Even though the island supported three
churches in the mid-1800s, people from each end of Chebeague attended each
of the churches, all of which were located in the middle of the island.
Family was also a common thread. The first generation of Chebeaguers
planted the seeds of settlement and as the community grew their roots
intertwined. Despite the evolution of two neighborhoods on Chebeague the
people shared a common heritage, and it was this past that provided a solid
foundation for the eventual coalescence of the Chebeague community.
The exhibit shows how the creation, and then the gradual strengthening of Chebeague Island High School,
combined with the automobile brought the island together once again.
Stanley Libby's two stints as high school principal encouraged community
cooperation and pride as he promoted Boy Scouts and an island band. The
community came together slowly but surely.
The exhibit tells many stories, but there are many more to be told. The
historical importance of fishing on the West End
cannot be under estimated. It formed the culture of the community. Like the
rock sloops, fishing vessels were family affairs and it was a big business.
Ray Hamilton observes that the Westenders had the biggest boats and the
biggest nets allowing them to catch more fish than the Eastenders. The
families portrayed represent what life was like for people on the West End
as well as those folks who came to the island for the summer. The West End
had stores, wharves, and the island's first hotel. Today the school, the
Recreation Center, the church, and the Casco Bay Lines wharf are all on the
West End. The story of the West End is the story of a community where
people lived together, looked after one another and took pride in what they
did and how they did it. The roots remain strong after more than two
hundred and fifty years.
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