CHAPTER XXIII

SHELTER ISLAND

"Shelter Island," as you pronounce the name, it sounds almost like "Treasure Island" of Robert Louis Stevenson fame. It not only sounds like it, but this island comes as close to "Treasure Island" as any island in the entire bay. We don't seem to read or hear too much about this small island in the very middle of Casco Bay. It is more or less hidden from the open sea and was a perfect hiding place for the smuggler and privateer who plied these waters while trying to escape and hide from the revenue cutters.

What I have just mentioned in the preceding paragraph should make a treasure hunter's ears stand up. This island was not a refuge for smugglers and pirates only; it also was a refuge for the early settlers of Mere Point on the mainland. The settlers would be driven from the mainland by vicious attacks from the Indians, and they would flee to their blockhouse on Shelter Island. This blockhouse was built for this exact purpose, so you can imagine what you might find on this island in the way of buried treasure; not only artifacts from the early settler days, but also relics from the old days of smuggling and privateering.

The location of Shelter Island is as follows: Take the Harpswell road from Brunswick on Route 1 and proceed about half way down the Harpswell Neck, then go to the northern side of the shoreline. There you will see Shelter Island just off shore. The Author has never been over to the island, but has seen it from a distance. It looks very inviting as a spot to do some real down-to-earth treasure hunting.

On my trip to Harpswell, I think that I would inquire as to the ownership of this little island, and try to include it in my tour of treasure hunting locations. Here is a nice area for the metal detector and probe to do their work. I think, with any luck at all, you should locate something of treasure value here.

Please check as to trespassing rights before you land here. It's better to be safe than sorry. I most certainly would check the coves and beaches very carefully, especially any good landing place for a longboat.