This unused fisherman's shack on the north shore of Rich's Cove is the last of the three that stood there when I was a regular visitor to the island. The foundation of rocks extending into the water is all that remains of the dock that once stood in front of it.

The last fisherman to actively work out of Rich's Cove was Maurice Barter (pronounced Morris), who was still doing some fishing as of the mid 1970s and has now retired to Blue Hill on the mainland. He used the shacks that stood here and the dock whose foundation is seen in the photo was his. I was fortunate enough to be invited along once or twice when he went out to set a few traps and, needless to say, was completely enthralled by everything about those short excursions.

From the late 1800s through about 1920 or 1930, this cove was the busy home port for at least six or seven fishermen. I have seen a photograph, taken about 1889, that depicts eight different boats in the cove. There are 2 sloops, several dories and one peapod, as well as a large two-masted lobster smack, the schooner Sarah Hyde, rounding the northwestern point of the cove. Stillman Rich is visible in this photo and appears to be perfectly nonplussed by the presence of the schooner, which in the 1960s would have been a most noteworthy event. There is also a dock visible in the 1889 photo, outfitted with a hoist and pulleys and stacked with barrels and various other trappings of lobstering. The remains of this dock were plainly evident when I was on the island in the 1960s and are still discernable to the trained eye just to the left of where the photo above was taken.

This photo was taken at about 10:30 am EST, July 1997 by Jennifer Hughes

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