posted by prof_improbable #
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Although many aspects of its history seem to be obscured, Malaga Island was the site of a mixed-race community from the Civil War until their forced expulsion in 1912.
The black and white settlers had formed a fishing village with a school on the island, and they lived peacefully for 50 years until the state of Maine purchased the island in 1911.
The idea of a mixed community was at odds with the prevailing eugenics theory of the area, and local and state politicians used the Malaga Island community as a wedge issue.
Eight settlers were committed to the Maine School for the Feeble-Minded. The remaining 45 residents were evicted from the island, their school was moved to a different island, and Malaga Island's graveyard was dug up and redeposited on the mainland.
Source: Malaga Island: A Story Best Left Untold radio documentary and Strange Fruit, Volume I graphic novel by Joel Christian Gill
