Appledore Island
photo by Jim Cerny
Appledore Island, formerly called Hog Island, is the largest of the nine islands at 95 acres.
It has a long human history that began with coastal Native Americans, farmers, and colonial fishing fleets. Most settlers there relocated to neighboring Star Island in New Hampshire around 1700 to avoid paying Maine’s taxes.
The first elaborate Shoals hotel was built there by entrepreneur Thomas Laighton, a former White Island Lighthouse keeper, who bought up most of the island and developed the Appledore House resort in 1848.
Vintage postcard, Appledore House, circa 1908.
Appledore was also home to 19th century writer and gardener Celia Laighton Thaxter, Thomas’s daughter, who helped run her family’s summer resort and was the force behind an arts community that blossomed there. A fire destroyed the hotel in 1914.
In 1928, a marine zoological lab was built, offering an undergraduate program. It thrived until WWII when the government took control of the island, building a 50-foot concrete tower with a roof deck used for anti-aircraft intelligence service.
In 1966, the Shoals Marine Lab was founded. Military era buildings were refurbished along with construction of new buildings and utility services.
These days Appledore is home to a few private homes and the seasonal marine lab, a partnership between Cornell University and The University of New Hampshire. Owned by the Star Island Corporation, the lab offers some public programs throughout the summer.
