Speaking of islands, there a quite a few of them in Casco Bay off the coast of Portland, not to mention the thousands that lie off the coast of Maine generally. These floating oases, along with the myriad inlets and rocky shores that make up the meandering coastline of the state, have drawn Canadian visitors for decades. Maine has all the advantages of feeling like it is part of the Maritimes while still having the allure of a 'foreign' country (it's feeling more foreign down here every day in Bush-land, let me tell you...)

A row-boatable distance away from the beauty of Peaks Island, where Aunt Emma and Virginia lived out their days, is another, much smaller island, called Cushing's. I'm not even sure that Emma knew, but this mile-by-a-mile-and-a-half plot of land had been purchased by Lemuel Cushing - most often described simply as a 'wealthy Canadian' - in 1859. That, in itself, is not so significant as much of Maine's generous coastal and coniferous landscape had for years served both English and French interests in the leisure and business side of things.

But what was significant about Lemuel, and later about his son, Francis, who took over the management of the Cushing Island Company after his father died in 1875, was that they made sure this island didn't become 'just another' fancy resort destination. Cushing's Island, and its troupe of 'rusticators' who arrived every summer from Montreal, Boston, and New York at the end of the 19th century, didn't want just any island as their playground, they wanted the island - a place that could seem both 'wild' and yet have all the comforts of home. For this, they hired the best.


So what - or who - do Montreal, Boston, and New York have in common? Let me give you a hint: Mount Royal, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Central Park....

And so it was that Frederick Law Olmsted was asked by Francis Cushing to address the Trustees of the Cushing's Island Company in 1883:

"Gentlemen - I last week visited Cushing's Island with a view to giving you, as requested, my judgement of its fitness as a place of summer residence and as to its measures desirable for its improvement..."

Olmsted goes on with a typical summary of the 'situation' and 'general character' of the island in front of the assembled group, but it is when he gets to this part that things become more interesting:

"From what has been said it will be obvious that the value of a summer residence upon Cushing's Island rather than in a thousand other localities along the coast, depends upon scenery much of which can only be enjoyed either from points of view inaccessible to carriages and near which it will always be undesireable in the interests of those who will take the greatest pleasure in it, that carriages should be brought, or from elevated places in the interior. It is of the first importance to secure the free common use of these points of observation of both classes and to prevent their outlooks from being either obstructed or put out of countenance by structures for private convenience".

As kids growing up on this island during our own summers 100 years after Olmsted's plans had been (mostly) carried out, my sister and I had no idea that we were still participating in a 19th century social experiment of fair and equitable land distribution with plots of varying sizes and values designated to accommodate diverse needs. We took for granted that Olmsted had made sure that 'boating, beach, tennis, and other playgrounds' - as well as the whole shore all the way around the island - were designated as 'common to all island people'. We never questioned the fact that the most extraordinary views of the vast Atlantic from the Island's many vantage points had been reserved for us instead of being built upon by some wealthy vista-hogger. And as far as those carriages were concerned, the island we knew never had anything but Mr. Burgess' old beat up Toyota that made the rounds delivering boxes of food and L.L. Bean bags full of stuff that came off the boat.

Now that was some island playground. Let's hope we can hold onto some of Olmsted's ideas into this century...

For an excellent article on Cushing's Island, read this from the Maine Olmsted Alliance for Parks and Landscapes.