Blue Hill Peninsula Stories: Back to the land
Blue Hill Peninsula Stories: Back to the Land
Blue Hill Peninsula Stories is a series of oral history interviews conducted by students in the George Stevens Academy “Audio Production 1” course, and archived and shared digitally on Maine Sound & Story as a community resource. Students interview local residents gathering stories about significant places and natural resources unique to the Blue Hill Peninsula community. Each year, a theme is identified to focus the stories and create cohesive narratives around important local issues such as sea level rise, food scarcity, changing weather patterns, and access to the working waterfront.
For 2026, the theme was “Back to the Land,” inspired by the movement in the ‘70s that brought a significant number of new residents to Blue Hill and the surrounding towns. Focusing on the unique experiences of homesteaders and “Back to the Landers” around the peninsula, these interviews reflect the subjects’ lives as they sought peace through self-sufficient living and working the land.
This project is a partnership between George Stevens Academy, the Blue Hill Public Library, and Maine Sound + Story, and was funded through a generous grant from the Maine Community Foundation.
Blue Hill Peninsula Stories: Back to the Land
Carole Beal by Gwen Fretz
Carole Beal talks about her experience moving to Maine and meeting her husband Elmer. They fulfilled their dream of building a homestead in North Blue Hill and she describes making a living off the land and as a potter.
Blue Hill Peninsula Stories: Back to the Land
Chip Wadsworth by Oguz Dincel
Chip Wadsworth is a Back to the Lander. She lives in Brooksville, Maine. She came here from Massachusetts to hike the Appalachian trail, found a homestead job at Elliot Coleman’s farm through a professor and decided to stay and work here. She’s been here more than 50 years now and she’s an important part of the local farming and homesteading community.
Blue Hill Peninsula Stories: Back to the LanD
Deborah Wiggs by Shea Emerton
In this story, Deborah Wiggs describes why her women’s group traveled to Maine to build an intentional community. She tells the story about obtaining the land and the growth and change on that land. She also describes how the Back to the Land movement left a legacy in the town of Blue Hill.
Blue Hill Peninsula Stories: Back to the Land
Eliot Coleman and Barbara Damrosch by London Gammon
Hear the story of two local pioneers in farming! Eliot Coleman and his wife Barbara Coleman talk about their difficulties in farming, history of how they began, how they met, and more!
Meet Eliot- A former rock climber and biker who moved to Maine looking for a better, more inclusive community while also starting a farm in the area of Brooksville known as Cape Rosier!
And meet Barbara Coleman- A former writer living in New York with a background in gardening who also chose to move to Maine for the same reasons Eliot chose to move, joining him not just as a business partner, but as his loving wife!
Blue Hill Peninsula Stories: Back to the Land
Jack and Kathie Burnett by Herschel Bach
Jack and Kathie Burnett live on the Circle Farm in Blue Hill. In this interview, they reflect on their differing stories of moving to Maine to pursue a more communal “living off the land” lifestyle. They talk about their experiences working together on projects with their neighbors. The pair also discuss their story of falling in love on the farm.
Blue Hill Peninsula Stories: Back to the LanD
Jo Barrett by Anika Varnum
Jo Barrett is a homesteader who was born in Castine, Maine. She talks about her life growing up in Maine and watching many young people move here to live off the land in the 70’s. She also described how doing a little at a time, and learning as you go make a big difference in the homesteading lifestyle.
Blue Hill Peninsula Stories: Back to the LanD
Marjorie Yesley by Corwin Allen
A full circle family; They aren’t a commune, but they are a community.
Marjorie and a group of 13 people moved to Maine and raised one big family together on their ‘Circle Farm’. “We were taking a big chance, and we were very accepted by just about everybody in this town.” Read or listen to Marjorie’s story about raising a family in this gem of an area.
Blue Hill Peninsula Stories: Back to the LanD
Phil Norris by Max Cook
Phil Norris reflects on his journey of being a Back to the Lander. From starting a small garden at fifteen, to co-owning Clayfield Farm in East Blue Hill with his wife Deborah, he has been able to fill his time doing a number of jobs such as a piano tuner and local DJ. He shares his passion for teaching the next generation of farmers and credited commitment as a big part of his success.
Blue Hill Peninsula Stories: Back to the LanD
Warren and Nancy Berkowitz by George Bernard
This is an interview with Nancy and Warren Berkowitz. These two homesteaders found out about the Nearings through their books and moved to Maine separately to meet them and work at The Good Life Center. Now their goal is to preserve the Nearing’s Legacy and homestead in Brooksville, Maine.
Blue Hill Peninsula Stories: Back to the LanD
Karen Frangoulis by Phoebe Carter
This interview of Karen Frangoulis tells about her experience being part of the back to the land movement. She builds the vision of working on the farm, taking care of children, cooking and catering, and describes the struggles of her adventures. This heartwarming story captures the relationship between farming and family.
Thank You for Listening!
Blue Hill Peninsula Stories is series developed as a high school course taught by Phelan Gallagher and Galen Koch at George Stevens Academy.
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