Islesford Historical Society

Islesford Historical Society (IHS) was founded in 1990 by Hugh “Buddy” Dwelley who had initially gathered historical items and documents relating to Islesford’s history and stored them in his house. Buddy’s parents had operated the Woodlawn House, an inn on Islesford, from 1911 to 1955. After serving in the Foreign Service around the world Buddy retired to Islesford in 1990.

In 1998 the Islesford Library, located in the Neighborhood House, was expanded and at the same time a dedicated space for the Historical Society, designed by architect Chris Wiggins, was added. The Society's collection of documents and artifacts was moved to their new home over the following decade.

Ted Spurling, Sr. and Maurice Phillips, members of the IHS, are shown standing at the back entrance of the newly built Islesford Historical Society room. At the right is the main hall of the Neighborhood House. Maurice had retired to the island in the 1970s and served as a selectman. The Spurling family goes back several generations on Islesford to the mid-1800s and Ted was a fount of historical information.

(Image this page: Islesford HS online archive)
(Intro image: Justine Shaffner; https://jshaffner.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/islesford-library-an-essential-of-island-life/ )

The Islesford Neighborhood House was built in 1913 and added onto several times, including the second library addition and the Historical Society room. Viewed from the front, the Ladies Parlor was to the left and the original library room was to the right. The building was used by the Rockbound Grange as well as the community from 1939 to 1979. Community activities such as suppers, school graduations, meetings, celebrations and entertainments continue to be held in the hall every year.

The first library addition on the north side was done in 1989. The outhouses which can be seen in this photo—women to the left, men on the right—were replaced by indoor plumbing in the 21st century. The main hall, the Ladies parlor, and the upstairs were renovated and insulated between 2015 and 2018.