Deer Isle

Island in Hancock County, south-central Maine; 8 km/11 mi long, and up to 13 km/8 mi wide. It is in Penobscot Bay, separated from the Blue Hill peninsula by the Eggemoggin Reach sailing passage. The main settlement is in the south of the island at the town of Stonington; population (1990) 1,300. Deer Isle was an active 18th-century port, and once had a customs house, sawmill, and gristmill. It was home to sea captains who prospered from slave running, smuggling, and the China and East India trade. Fishing, sardine packing, and boat building are now important industries. The area is known for its pink granite, used for New York's Triborough Bridge. The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts is at Sunshine, at Deer Isle's east extremity.