Phil Norris
In this oral history interview, Phil Norris reflects on a lifetime shaped by farming, music, forestry, and community. He traces his passion for plants back to a teenage garden planted with his ...
listen & learn moreBlue 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.
