Cliff Island, Maine
Encyclopedia
Cliff Island is an island in Casco Bay
Maine
. It is part of the city of Portland, Maine
. As of the 2000 census, the island had a year-round population of approximately 60 people. In the summer, the island's population grows to about 200, despite the fact that it is the only year-round inhabited island in Casco Bay
with no paved roads. Originally named Crotch Island for its H-shape and natural harbors, the name was changed to end mail mix-ups with the other Crotch Island in Maine.
In the early 20th century the island's inns were a draw for summer tourists. There are no hotels any longer, but many homes are available for weekly rentals or longer. While there are no public services, residents enjoy a community hall, a tennis court, baseball field, and playground. The residents are served by a USPS Post Office, fire department, and one-room school for elementary grades.
In 1987 the feature film The Whales of August
was filmed entirely on location on Cliff Island. The buoy that was used in the film as a transitioning tool is now on display outside of the Casco Bay Lines
Ferry Terminal. The film was among the last for stars such as Bette Davis
, Lillian Gish
, Vincent Price
, and Ann Sothern
. The cottage where the film was made is still owned by Frank Pitkin's family whose grandmother, Josephine Pitkin, built the cottage named "Pitkin Point", in 1910.
ferry service. It takes an hour and a half. Cliff Islanders buy groceries in Portland
. There is a gas station and a small store on the island. Golf carts and electric carts are most often used for transportation. A barge ramp was added in 2007 to ease delivery of trucks and heavy items.
Casco Bay
Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth...
Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. It is part of the city of Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
. As of the 2000 census, the island had a year-round population of approximately 60 people. In the summer, the island's population grows to about 200, despite the fact that it is the only year-round inhabited island in Casco Bay
Casco Bay
Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth...
with no paved roads. Originally named Crotch Island for its H-shape and natural harbors, the name was changed to end mail mix-ups with the other Crotch Island in Maine.
In the early 20th century the island's inns were a draw for summer tourists. There are no hotels any longer, but many homes are available for weekly rentals or longer. While there are no public services, residents enjoy a community hall, a tennis court, baseball field, and playground. The residents are served by a USPS Post Office, fire department, and one-room school for elementary grades.
In 1987 the feature film The Whales of August
The Whales of August
The Whales of August is a 1987 film starring Bette Davis and Lillian Gish as elderly sisters. Also in the cast were Ann Sothern as one of their friends, and Vincent Price as a peripheral member of the former Russian aristocracy. The film was shot on location on Maine's Cliff Island. The house...
was filmed entirely on location on Cliff Island. The buoy that was used in the film as a transitioning tool is now on display outside of the Casco Bay Lines
Casco Bay Lines
Casco Bay Lines is a publicly run transportation company that services the residents of the islands of Casco Bay. These islands include Peaks Island, Little Diamond Island, Great Diamond Island, Diamond Cove, Long Island, Chebeague Island and Cliff Island.The company has a fleet of five vessels...
Ferry Terminal. The film was among the last for stars such as Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
, Lillian Gish
Lillian Gish
Lillian Diana Gish was an American stage, screen and television actress whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987....
, Vincent Price
Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
, and Ann Sothern
Ann Sothern
Ann Sothern was an American film and television actress whose career spanned six decades.-Early life and career:...
. The cottage where the film was made is still owned by Frank Pitkin's family whose grandmother, Josephine Pitkin, built the cottage named "Pitkin Point", in 1910.
Transportation
Cliff Island residents (also known as Cliff Islanders) travel back and forth to the mainland via the Casco Bay LinesCasco Bay Lines
Casco Bay Lines is a publicly run transportation company that services the residents of the islands of Casco Bay. These islands include Peaks Island, Little Diamond Island, Great Diamond Island, Diamond Cove, Long Island, Chebeague Island and Cliff Island.The company has a fleet of five vessels...
ferry service. It takes an hour and a half. Cliff Islanders buy groceries in Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
. There is a gas station and a small store on the island. Golf carts and electric carts are most often used for transportation. A barge ramp was added in 2007 to ease delivery of trucks and heavy items.