and its Surroundings
Maine is the first state to see the sunrise in the East. Our area is celebrated for its rugged beauty and exceptional landscapes. The Blue Hill Peninsula is considered by many to be an extraordinary place in a special (some would say, spiritual) setting.
Attracted to the natural surroundings of woods and ocean and a simpler way of life that values both community and independence, the people in this area reflect a wide variety of interests, talents, and experiences.
The Town of Blue Hill, for instance, is the location of Kneisel Hall, a summer chamber music festival and school started in 1902 (kneisel.org).
Bagaduce Music which promotes music education and loans sheet music to anyone world wide (bagaducemusic.org), and Blue Hill Bach which presents performances and educational programs “demonstrating the place of Baroque music in music history” (bluehillbach.org).
Blue Hill is also the home of an exceptional public library (bhpl.net) that has to be visited to be appreciated.
There is also a wonderful hospital (northernlightshealth.org), a terrific independent bookstore (bluehillbooks.com), and George Stevens Academy, one of the few secondary private/public academies in New England (georgestevensacademy.org).This is all in addition to many hiking trails and lots of sailing opportunities.
WoodenBoat magazine and school (woodenboat.com) is located in Brooklin and offers courses in boat building, seascape photography, and boat modeling, among others.
Brooklin was also the home of E.B.White. (Blue Hill Fairgrounds was the setting for Charlotte’s Web) and has attracted numerous other authors including Roger Angell and Peter Behrens.
Deer Isle has a wide variety of art galleries and is also the site of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts (haystack-mtn.org) The school offers both summer courses and workshops in the spring and fall.
Settled in 1762, Stonington has a rich history in shipbuilding and granite quarrying, and today it is the top lobster port in Maine. It is the access point to Isle au Haut, a part of Acadia National Park. Stonington also has the highly regarded Opera House (operahousearts.org) with summer performances that range from Shakespeare to poetry.
There are numerous organic farms in the area. The Good Life Center in Brooksville (http://goodlife.org) was originally home of Scott and Helen Nearing who embodied the “back to the land” movement.
The closest traffic light is in Ellsworth which also has an L.L. Bean Discount Store and is the gateway to Mt. Desert and Acadia National Park. Bangor is about an hour to the north and has a major airport. Farther east is Campobello Island.
Because of all that our area offers, the population swells in the summer. This is reflected in the increased attendance at St. Francis from June to September. We value the dedication and loyalty that our summer parishioners bring to the church.
St Francis by the Sea Episcopal ChurchBlue Hill, Maine 04614(207) 374-5200 stfrancisbluehillme@gmail.com