Home » Maine » Malaga Island

James W. Loewen (1942-2021)

We mourn the loss of our friend and colleague and remain committed to the work he began.

Malaga Island

Maine

Basic Information

Type of Place
Other
Metro Area
Politics c. 1860?
Unions, Organized Labor?

Sundown Town Status

Sundown Town in the Past?
Surely
Was there an ordinance?
Don't Know
Sign?
Don’t Know
Year of Greatest Interest
Still Sundown?
Surely Not

Census Information

The available census data from 1860 to the present
Total White Black Asian Native Hispanic Other BHshld
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020

Method of Exclusion

  • Police or Other Official Action

Main Ethnic Group(s)

  • Unknown

Group(s) Excluded

  • Black

Comments

Benjamin Darling and other escaped slaves started a
settlement in 1847. Over time, other ethnic groups
moved to Malaga Island and intermarried with the
African Americans, creating a small multiracial society.
In the early 1900s, the island became desirable as a
tourist destination to more affluent whites. The
Malagites were characterized as lazy, incompetent,
and mentally ill. In 1912, they were served with a writ
to vacate the island, and many families were
institutionalized at the Maine School for the Feeble
Minded. The homes of the Malagites were razed,
graves exhumed, and any reminder of the former
residents destroyed.

Malaga Island is now owned by Maine Coast Heritage
Trust and has no permanent residents.