GOV. PAUL LEPAGE, above, speaks to descendants of the families removed from Malaga Island at a dedication of a new monument at Pineland Cemetery in New Gloucester. Much of the funding for the memorial was provided by the Office of the Governor Contingency Fund, with the balance being donated by private parties.
“The creation of this memorial is way, way long overdue,” said Le- Page. “What happened to the inhabitants of Malaga Island is just a very, very dark day in the history of our state. And this memorial today only begins to make the healing of that terrible, terrible time.”
Unique in its time, Malaga Island off the coast of Phippsburg was home to an intentional interracial community in the years following the Civil War. Beginning in 1911, the state began forcefully evicting residents from the island, and by 1912 the approximately 40-member community had been entirely removed. The state even went so far as to dig up the graves on the island, burying them at Pineland Cemetery.
“Today, we lift up our family members with this memorial to ensure that their story will be retold properly and with honor,” said descendant Charmane Glass-Tripp. “We remind the world that they did matter. That they did belong. That they were an innovative and progressive community that deserved, at the very least, to just exist.”
LePage also took a moment in his remarks to once again apologize on behalf of the state for the treatment of the Malaga Island residents and descendants.
“To the descendants, on behalf of the people of Maine: Our apologies to you and to your families and to your ancestors,” said the governor. “And as we move forward, take great pride in knowing that there’s a new day in Maine where we recognize what your ancestors have gone through and give them dignity and pride.”
Much of the funding for the memorial was provided by the Office of the Governor Contingency Fund, with the balance being donated by private parties.
Marnie Darling Voter, a descendant of one Malaga Island resident, provided two benches sitting on either side of the memorial. One bench was dedicated in the memory of her husband who helped track the history and genealogy of the descendants of Malaga Island resident Elizabeth Darling. The other bench was dedicated to the Marks family — the first family taken from the island and with no descendants.
Passed by the Legislature in 2013 and administered by the Maine Community Foundation, the Malaga 1912 Scholarship Fund has provided funds to several descendants.
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