History

This naturally enchanting, 226-acre island has been a significant fishing site for thousands of years—first for Native Americans, and then for English fishermen. In 1605, the famous French explorer Samuel de Champlain referred to the island as the “Isle de Bacchus” due to the large amount of high-quality grapes that grew there.

The island was inhabited solely by the Abenaki people until Walter Bagnall’s establishment of the first permanent European fishing station in 1627. After four years of cruel and abusive treatment at the hands of Bagnall, the Abenaki killed him in 1631. That same year, the merchant Robert Trelawney was granted a patent for the surrounding area. He sent forty men, led by John Winter, to establish another permanent fishing station on the island. Winter and his men lived and worked on the island from 1631 to 1643.

In 1640, Winter hired Oxford graduate and Anglican minister Reverend Robert Jordan to help run his fishing operation and bring some semblance of morality to the so-called “Isle de Bacchus”. Reverend Jordan married Winter’s daughter Sara in 1643, thus beginning the area of the Jordan family, which lasted over two hundred years. The Jordans fished, farmed, and created successful enterprises on, around, and far beyond this diamond-shaped jewel off the coast of Cape Elizabeth.

Since 1913, the Sprague family has adopted the responsibility of preserving Richmond Island for all who visit. Included in this is caring for a flock of Scottish Blackface sheep that assist in maintaining the Island’s natural growth through grazing. A hardy British breed, these sheep are particularly suited to Maine winters thanks to their long, coarse fleece. Once a year, they are rounded up for shearing and examination to ensure their health and safety.

Today, The Sprague Corporation continues to preserve, maintain, and protect the prehistorical, historical, and natural spirit of Richmond Island. We welcome the public in joining our efforts to keep this place protected and accessible for many generations to come.