Local Information

Cousin's Island

Cousin's Island was known to the Abenaki Indians as 'Susquesong'. Colonists settled as early as 1628, and referred to both Cousins and Littlejohn islands as the 'Hogg islands'.

John Cousins bought both islands in 1645 from Richard Vines, Steward General and Councilor for Sir Ferdinando Gorges. He sold half of the land to Richard Bray in 1650. The other half went to Mrs Mary Sayward around 1679. Casco Bay was deserted during King Phillip’s War around 1675, and again during King William’s War between 1689-97.

Excerpted from 'Our History' by  Cousin and Littlejohn Islands Island Improvement Association

Sandy Point Beach

Yarmouth's only public sandy beach, Sandy Point Beach is located just over the bridge to Cousin's island. This spot is an excellent entering point for kayakers, and was the site of a shipyard in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Casco Bay

Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine.  Casco Bay is defined as the area between Cape Small to its east and Two Lights Head Light in Cape Elizabeth to its west.  The city of Portland sits along its southern edge.  Casco Bay is comprised of 44 islands and seven light houses and four forts dating back to the civil war.  The waterfront access in Casco Bay is exceptional with 17 marinas and numerous restaurants scattered across the bay.

Yarmouth

When settlers arrived at Yarmouth's site in 1640, they found a fort already built. The fort had for some time been occupied by George Felt, who had in turn purchased it from John Phillips, a Welshman. John Cousins had arrived a year or more earlier occupying the neck of land between the branches of the stream which has since been called Cousin's River, and owning the island now bearing his name.

 

Yarmouth constituted the eastern part of North Yarmouth until 1849, when it was set off and incorporated as an independent town; this split occurred because of a dispute over the purchase of a fire wagon. Unable to resolve this difference, the two halves of the town split, and have been separate ever since.

 

Modern-day Yarmouth is mostly residential in character, with commercial development scattered throughout the town.  The town has four schools: two elementary, one middle school, and one high school, as well as North Yarmouth Academy, a private college preparatory school established in 1814.  Yarmouth High School was named #297 in the 1,000 Best High Schools in the US by Newsweek in 2005 and #289 in 2006. Yarmouth is also the home of DeLorme, the large map-making company.  Yarmouth is also the home of Leon Leonwood Bean, the founder of L.L. Bean, which is located one town over in Freeport, Maine.

Excerpted from 'Wikipedia'