About Isle au Haut

The town of Isle au Haut, about 7 miles south of Stonington, was separated from Deer Isle and incorporated February 28, 1874. Named by the great French explorer Champlain in 1604 on a voyage through the area, the town includes several islands with colorful histories.

Charles B. McLane quotes documentary evidence that Isle au Haut (the main island) had five inhabitants in 1785: James Barton, Nathaniel Shelden, John Banter, Reuben Nobel, and John Holman. A large portion of the Island is part of Acadia National Park [from Deer Isle Remembered 1789-1989]. The first settlement within the limits of Isle au Haut was on Merchants Island in 1772, when Anthony Merchant came there. Seth Webb settled Kimball's Island during the Revolution. Great Isle au Haut was settled in 1792 by Peltiah Barter and others.

Isle au Haut is now in Knox county, but because it was once part of Deer Isle, and due to the close connections with the Island, it seems right to include it here.