|
Foster Children Help Boost
Population
Tiny Frenchboro has had plenty of national media attention—precisely
for its waning population.
It first happened in 1964 when one headline in the Saturday Evening
Post read, “The Island That Borrows Its Children.” Later, in 1980, a
headline in The Star magazine read, “Come Live With Us On Our
Fantasy Island.”
Twenty foster children made Frenchboro their home. Here some of
the foster youngsters pose with island children in 1966. |
Innovative ideas at boosting Frenchboro’s dwindling population—which
peeked at close to 200 in 1910—have kept the town in the news. Both
plans resulted in mixed successes, but regardless, they are an
important part of the island’s history.
When the school population, dropped to just two students in 1964,
Vivian and Lillian Lunt contacted the state Department of Human
Service and arranged for 20 foster children to live on the island.
Of the 20, 16 would remain to graduate from the island’s school.
The foster children lived with island families. Many still return to
Frenchboro to stay in touch with their island families.
Frenchboro’s second try at increasing its population began when the
population dipped to 43 in 1980. In search for a way to diversify
the economy, the Frenchboro Homestead Project was started.
The island utilized state grant money to build low-cost housing for
six families. The lucky six were chosen from more than 300 that had
applied, from as far as Asia to as close as other
Maine communities.
The families lived in new Cape Cod-style houses and paid $375 per
month in rent. After remaining on the island for three years, the
homesteaders could buy the houses at below-market values. Only two
families from the original group remain in Frenchboro today. |
