Island Childhood

From: Meghan Vigeant
Series: Swan's Island Memory Project
Length: 04:15

Swan’s Islanders share their childhood memories of growing up on the island. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: Island Childhood
From: Meghan Vigeant

Kids_on_bikes_small The buiness of Swan's Island youth involved sledding into traffic, hiking the shores, building forts, using one's imagination and serving rabbit-turd tea.

Interviews were conducted by Meghan Vigeant in 2009 and 2010 with EVA WHEATON, SPENCER JOYCE, DONALD STAPLES, BERNITA JOYCE, GWEN MAY, THEO MAY, EDWARD WHEATON, CLINT STAPLES, MYRON “SONNY” SPRAGUE, MARGUERITE STAPLES, ALBERT BUSWELL, NORMAN BURNS, MARION STINSON, LAVERNE CRAIG, SHARON BUTTERFIELD

More from Meghan Vigeant

Caption: Joyce Family musicians, Credit: courtesy of Sharon Joyce Butterfield (Swan's Island Memory Project)

Joyce Family Musicians (04:45)
From: Meghan Vigeant

Families that play music together stay together. The Joyce family on Swan's Island made their own entertainment.

Caption: 4th of July on Swan's Island, late 1950s, Credit: courtesy of David Joyce (Swan's Island Memory Project)

Cheaters Never Prosper on the 4th of July (02:47)
From: Meghan Vigeant

Celebrate America's independence the Island way, with pranks, potato-spoon races, and pie eating. But remember, cheaters never prosper here.

Caption: Sea Side Hall, Swan's Island, Maine, Credit: Swan's Island Memory Project

Ice Cream Socials (01:31)
From: Meghan Vigeant

Of course ice cream is a treat at any time for anyone, but it was awfully difficult to stock in any island store in the 1930’s. Marguerite Staples remembers the Ice Cream ...

Caption: Normie Burns, Credit: Swan's Island Memory Project

Drag Racing on Swan's Island (01:37)
From: Meghan Vigeant

Every town has its troublemaker. But Normie Burns is not a troublemaker. Normie wouldn’t hurt a fly. But he does like to stir things up once in a while.

Caption: Bernita Joyce, Credit: Meghan Vigeant

The Jackknife Incident (03:31)
From: Meghan Vigeant

The battle between a kid’s fun and her parents.

Ball Game Days of Swan's Island (04:41)
From: Meghan Vigeant

The softball players on Swan's Island were more than a team. They were a family.

Record Hop Romance (04:15)
From: Meghan Vigeant

As Elvis and Chubby Checker came into American homes Swan’s Island teenagers were jiving along, too. Gwen May remembers the record hops she went to as a teenager on the ...

Caption: Dance at the Swan's Island Odd Fellows Hall, Credit: Joyce Knight (Swan's Island Memory Project)

Last Member of the Band (03:27)
From: Meghan Vigeant

Probably the biggest musical feature of Swan’s Island history were the dances at the Odd Fellows Hall. Marion Stinson was there adding her own flair for music with the island ...

Caption: Clyde Torrey, Credit: Marjorie Whitted (Swan's Island Memory Project)

The Legend of Clyde Torrey (04:42)
From: Meghan Vigeant

A true island character here. Clyde Torrey. Fire and homelessness could not dampen his spirit or his music.

Caption: http://www.flickr.com/photos/0olong/, Credit: photo by Oolong

Is That My Imagination? (03:00)
From: Meghan Vigeant

The story of a mind on strike. Inside the bipolar mind.

Piece Description

The buiness of Swan's Island youth involved sledding into traffic, hiking the shores, building forts, using one's imagination and serving rabbit-turd tea.

Interviews were conducted by Meghan Vigeant in 2009 and 2010 with EVA WHEATON, SPENCER JOYCE, DONALD STAPLES, BERNITA JOYCE, GWEN MAY, THEO MAY, EDWARD WHEATON, CLINT STAPLES, MYRON “SONNY” SPRAGUE, MARGUERITE STAPLES, ALBERT BUSWELL, NORMAN BURNS, MARION STINSON, LAVERNE CRAIG, SHARON BUTTERFIELD