Yesterday

Granite houses such as this were common in Sullivan when granite was king.

DEER IS

Sullivan was the second plantation, east of the Union River, laid out in 1762, after Trenton. Settlement began circa 1763, with John Bean (Bane) and Daniel Sullivan at Doane’s Point on Waukeag Neck.

The early settlers came from the Bristol, Maine, region, and New Bristol was one of the earlier names used for the new settlement. Other early settlers came from Saco, Maine, and Marblehead, Mass.

The future towns of Hancock (1828) and Sorrento (1895) were created out of this plantation.

Incorporated on Feb. 16, 1789, the town by 1790 had 91 families. Lumbering was an important activity, prior to the American Revolution, with a number of tidal sawmills being built.

As with all communities in Hancock County, the Revolution devastated the local economy. It took a number of years, after the Revolution, for the economy to stabilize and grow. Two of the critical factors in this recovery came from actions taken by the United States Congress.

On July 21, 1789, the Customs Collection District of Frenchman Bay was established. The Customs House was located at Sullivan Harbor, providing many new opportunities for Sullivan’s merchants.

The Customs Act required all vessels, foreign and domestic, leaving or entering the District, to report to the Collector of Customs. Import duties were levied, vessels inspected and cargo weighed, bounties dispersed, lists of crewmen compiled, and fees collected for the Marine Hospital Fund. These activities brought in vessels that needed supplies, repairs and lodging.

The second congressional act placed bounties on every quintal of dried fish exported. These bounties gave added incentive to the shipbuilding industry, providing the vessels needed in the fisheries. In 1792, the bounty was transferred to the vessels engaged in fishing. These incentives, along with the growing demand for lumber and dried fish in the West Indies, fueled a rapidly expanding economy, and rapid development of the community.

Sullivan would eventually develop into three distinct villages: West, East and Sullivan Harbor. A fourth village, North Sullivan, evolved with the granite industry.

Sullivan’s shipyards built at least 59 schooners, one sloop, 16 brigs, three barks and two jackass brigs. The largest schooner was the Morancy, 198 tons, built in 1868. There is one photograph of this vessel, which indicates she was rigged as a jackass brig at one time. The bark Gladiola, 555 tons, was the largest vessel built in the community, in 1861.

The years between 1856 and 1889 witnessed the demise of shipbuilding and the rise of the granite industry. In 1856, there were four different shipbuilders listed in the community, along with a sawmill, grist mill and shingle mill.

In 1889, there were no shipbuilders listed, but five separate operations were involved in the granite quarries. The community had two granite mills and a carding mill. There was also a sawmill manufacturing staves, shingles and spools.

There were other more significant changes in the years between 1856 and 1898. The shipyards had been located at Sullivan Harbor, the granite works at West Sullivan. The shift in industry led to the growing development of the community of West Sullivan.

By 1898, West Sullivan would have eight retail establishments, along with a millinery shop. Sullivan Harbor had only two; East Sullivan, four. The greatest change came in public accommodation, with only one establishment listed in 1856. By 1898, there were four hotels in the community. Summer communities were taking hold in the local economy—and led directly to the creation of the town of Sorrento.

The changes in Sullivan’s economy mirrored that of other communities in the county. Each community found its own way to replace the loss of shipbuilding in the later 1800s. In Penobscot, the new industry was brickmaking. In Sullivan, it was the granite and mining industries.

The granite industry at Sullivan got its start in the 1830s, although the impact of these quarries on the local economy was not significant. Sullivan granite was used to build the “Granite Block” on Main Street in Ellsworth; a dry dock in Brooklyn, N.Y.; and a jail at St. Andrews, New Brunswick, among other structures.

The granite industry expanded rapidly after the Civil War, with a huge demand for paving stones and building material. Sullivan had four major quarries in the 1870s. By 1887, six major quarries had shipped three million feet of curbing. In 1888, 375 men were employed in the quarries, many of whom were English, Scottish and Irish.

The quarry industry began its long decline in the 1890s, with a brief flourish in the early 1900s. The industry would rapidly decline into obscurity after 1910.

The mining craze swept Hancock County in the late 1870s, offering landowners a vision of sudden wealth and prosperity. Most of these mines proved either too expensive to develop, or simply not extensive enough to develop.

Sullivan’s “mining belt” ran along the shores of the Taunton River, where silver was discovered in 1877. Within two years, 14 mines were in operation. The Waukeag Silver Mining Co. is said to have produced 25 tons of silver-lead bullion. Other mines had varying degrees of production, but it is probable that few mines ever made a return on their investment. The craze ended in the 1880s.