Allen Island with the Weymouth Cross; Benner Island at Right (2006)
Map Location of the Georges Islands
The Georges Islands (NOAA Chart 13302)
The Georges Islands are about four miles south
southwest of Port Clyde in Knox County. They include Allen, Benner, Davis, Burnt and Little Burnt islands.
According to The Maine Island Trail 2000 Stewardship Handbook and Guide (p. 125), “In the 1800’s, fishing and farming families resided on Burnt. The U.S. Coast Guard operated a life-saving station on the island from 1891 until shortly after World War II.” The owners of Burnt have had a relationship with the Hurricane Island Outward Bound program over the years.
Georges Harbor is a narrow waterway between Allen and Benner Islands, with the depth at mean low water of less than 10 feet in most places. Among the residents of these two islands have been Betsy and Andrew Wyeth (yes, the artist).
Buildings on Benner Island and Float (2006)
Weymouth Cross on Allen Island; Benner Beyond (2006)
Exploring the coast of Maine, Captain George Weymouth, left England in 1605 under the sponsorship the the Earl of Southhampton. His vessel, the Archangel, reached what is now the St. George River in that same year.
Weymouth held the first church service in Maine on Allen Island in 1607. The cross was erected in 1905 to commemorate the event after 300 years.
Dock on Allen Island; Lobster Traps on Float in Georges Harbor (2006)
Davis Island, with Substantial House and Wharf (2006)
Additional resources
Bill Caldwell, Islands of Maine.
The Maine Island Trail 2000: Stewardship Handbook & Guidebook. Maine Island Trail Association. Maine. 2000.
Simpson, Dorothy. The Maine Islands in Story and Legend.