Can't visit the North Pole?

Can't visit the North Pole? Get a feel for it at Eagle Island
By REX TURNER
Staff Writer Morning Sentinel

There's something magical in the simplicity that the moon is always with you. Surely, it may be shrouded by clouds or minimized by its phase, but it is always there. That constancy, coupled with the romance and allure a bright moon on a clear night, makes an imprint, which for me at least, reminds me of nights spent in memorable settings.

While out on a visit to Eagle Island, a State Historic Site in Casco Bay, I came to appreciate that polar explorer and past Eagle Island owner Admiral Robert E. Peary also looked for reminders of his journeys (which certainly make mine pale in comparison). First of all, the island is a 17 acre, mainly forested, piece of land in a chain of islands off Harpswell.

Upon inspection, it is clear that the attractive home perched high upon the cliffy northern wedge of the island is more than it appears from the water. Park manager Jeanie Dorrington informed me (and others on the tour) that the stonework and general architecture of the home were created to emulate a boat. Windows in the library are set up like portholes. The main floor's architecture includes scupper like openings.

Furthermore, a prow-like deck juts out onto the edge of the island's pronounced cliff. It even had an eagle statue mounted like a figurehead looking out at the bay and the great oceans connected to it. It's not too hard to envision the first man to lead a successful expedition the North Pole looking out from his Gulf of Maine ship-like home as his mind drifted to the frozen north.

Admiral Peary, based on the items displayed within the home and the stories shared of his life on the island, did not need to venture outside to contemplate his exploits. Narwhal tusks, a polar bear pelt, photographs of his historic achievements, and a multitude of other items link this home with the high arctic.

My favorite anecdote, though tied in a near-by Island, which Peary owned. According to accounts, Peary kept his capable yet less than friendly sled dogs on the uninhabited, nearby island in an effort to keep them from harassing and biting guests. However -- hearkening back to the moon -- when it arose full on clear nights, the dogs would howl loudly, waking up the Peary family (and possibly others). To quiet the dogs, Admiral Peary would lift a large megaphone made of animal skins (on display today), and use his voice to calm the near-wild canines roaming their island in the moonlight.

The dogs fascinate me, for I wonder if their howling ever woke Admiral Peary up and caused him, even if just for a minute, to question if he was again back in the arctic? He would not have had that question linger for long, but he would have had reminders all around him reminding him of the great white expanses that make him famous the world over.

Few will ever attain a feat as monumental as did Peary. Still, through photos, souvenirs, songs, or even the moon, we all can find things that bring us back to another time and place. In that sense, the human mind and human heart is a time machine. And like all good pieces of tangible history, Eagle Island State Historic Site gives you a chance to set that time machine to a few new (old?) destinations.

Learn more at: http://www.state.me.us/doc/parks/programs/db_search/index.html

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