During the recent special election of Maine District 19 Senator Eloise Vitelli, it was noted that Perkins Township was included in the district along with Dresden, and the towns in Sagadahoc County of Arrowsic, Bath, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Georgetown, Phippsburg, Richmond, Topsham, West Bath and Woolwich.
Unlike the other towns in the district, there were no votes from Perkins Township. According to the 2012 census the population is zero in fact, and many voters in the District are unaware where Perkins Township is even located.
The township is an unorganized territory in Sagadahoc County that includes Swan Island, Little Swan Island and some tidal flats, all within the Kennebec River between the towns of Richmond and Dresden. According to Wikipedia, the web’s free encyclopedia, the township has been uninhabited since 1936.
During the 1800s, the town of Perkins was a community of about 100 residents, who involved themselves in shipbuilding, farming and ice harvesting, according to the written history of the island. It also attracted summer residents who built summer homes on the island.
According to that site, one of the most famous Perkins summer residents was Thomas Handasyd Perkins, a wealthy Boston merchant, who as a young man, was a slave trader in Haiti, a maritime fur trader, and it is said, he was a major smuggler of Turkish opium into China, which added greatly to his wealth.
In the mid-19th century, Perkins retired and built a summer home on Swan Island. He helped the town become incorporated by paying legal fees for its charter. The town was renamed Perkins as a tribute to him.
The town of Perkins once had its own government, along with a schoolhouse and a cemetery. In 1918 the town was dis-incorporated and became a township managed by the state and by 1936, the island was completely abandoned except for its abundance of wildlife.
The island was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995, “Swan Island Historic District” or “Perkins Township Historic District.”
One of the buildings still standing on the island dates back to 1763, according to Friends of Swan Island President Ray Rollins.
In 2002, Friends of Swan Island was organized with the mission of saving the six houses still standing on the island. Dedicated volunteers worked to repair the homes conducting tours of the island to raise funds to do the repairs. Five of the homes are still standing.
The township is managed by the Department of Inland Fish and Wildlife as the Steve Powell Wildlife Management Area. Stephen E. Powell, was a biologist who once lived and worked on the island. When he left the island he became responsible for the wildlife areas in the state.
The island now provides a home for migrating waterfowl, white tail deer, nesting bald eagles, and wild turkeys. It is the only wildlife-managed area that allows camping and other programs for the public.
For further information on the activities and tours available check the Maine Government Swan Island website at http://www.maine.gov/ifw/education/swanisland.
