In 1964, a mysterious 27-year-old woman bought abandoned 18-acre island off the coast of Maine & lived there alone; 22 years later, she donated it for a wildlife sanctuary

A remote 18-acre island off the coast of South Bristol, Maine, has a history involving a famous clairvoyant, a solitary homeowner and a decision to preserve the land for wildlife.

Off the coast of South Bristol, Maine, lies Witch Island, an approximately 18-acre patch of land whose history stretches back centuries. Today, the island is preserved as a wildlife sanctuary, but it once served as a private summer retreat and, later, the quiet home of a woman determined to protect it.

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According to the Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, the island was originally known as Stewart's, after an early settler whose identity was eventually lost to history. Local stories also connected the island to the pirate Dixey Bull, who was said to have used it as a hideaway in the 1630s. Another legend linked the surrounding waters to a French and Indian War-era shipwreck.

Ownership later passed through the Gamage family before Captain Samuel H. Davis acquired the property in 1830. It became known as Davis Island under his ownership, while the surrounding waters became an important fishing ground during Maine's 19th-century porgy boom. After Davis died in 1884, a dispute over his will eventually resulted in the island being sold at auction.

How Davis Island became Witch Island

In 1887, Daniel and Anna Chittenden purchased the property, intending to establish a summer retreat. Anna, however, brought an unusual history with her.

Born Anna Loomis in Ohio, she had endured a difficult early life and married young. She later took to the stage under the name Grace Courtland, eventually running her own theatrical company. Her life took another dramatic turn when she began presenting herself as a clairvoyant and financial predictor.

Her reputation grew after she claimed to have accurately predicted movements in the stock market. She became associated with Wall Street and was eventually known as the "Witch of Wall Street". Contemporary accounts described bankers, brokers and speculators seeking her opinions, while newspapers followed both her predictions and the controversies surrounding her.

The island's transformation from Davis Island to Witch Island was closely connected to this unusual chapter in Anna Chittenden's life. A 1890 report in the Boston Evening Transcript, quoted in historical accounts of the island, described the "Witch of Wall Street" living on the property and receiving visitors who came to seek her advice. The account helped cement the name that the island carries today.

A woman who lived beside the sea

Chittenden reportedly built a modest cottage among the island's birch trees and sometimes welcomed visitors who arrived by boat. Rather than being completely cut off from the outside world, she developed a curious existence somewhere between hermit and hostess.

The island remained in private hands after the Chittenden era. The Chittendens sold it in 1916, after which it was associated with novelist Henry C. Rowland and his family. Historical accounts describe the property being used as a summer camp, with the family keeping animals including an Airedale terrier, pet seals and a tame crow.

But the next major chapter began in 1964, when the long-vacant island was purchased by Jane Sewall. Sewall had known the place since childhood and reportedly had a strong attachment to it after spending time around its shores with her family.

At just 27 years old, she bought the approximately 18-acre island, cleared away the deteriorating buildings and constructed a small house on its southern end. She then chose to spend much of the following years living there in relative solitude. The account of Sewall's ownership and the island's eventual conservation is attributed to the Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, which today manages the preserve.

Why Jane Sewall gave the island away

Living alone on the island also made Sewall increasingly aware of how vulnerable its natural surroundings were. Visitors arriving on its beaches sometimes left behind rubbish and campfires, prompting her to put up warnings and appeal for greater care.

Her concern eventually extended beyond individual visitors. Changes to Maine's tax treatment of forested land created another challenge for owners of undeveloped property, and Sewall began considering how the island could be protected permanently.

In 1983, she transferred roughly a third of Witch Island to the Maine Coast Heritage Trust. A few years later, she made an even bigger decision. In 1986, she donated the entire island to the Maine Audubon Society, ensuring that the land would be protected as a wildlife sanctuary.

Historical accounts record Sewall's desire to find an organisation that would safeguard the island for the long term while allowing her to return and see it remain much as she had known it. The sanctuary therefore became more than a change in ownership; it was Sewall's attempt to preserve a place to which she had been attached since childhood.

From private island to protected sanctuary

The Maine Audubon Society managed Witch Island for more than two decades before transferring it in 2009 to the Damariscotta River Association. In 2019, that organisation merged with the Pemaquid Watershed Association and became the Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, which continues to manage the island.

The preserve is now intentionally uninhabited. Visitors can reach its beaches by kayak, while roughly half a mile of trails provides an opportunity to explore the island's woodland landscape. The property is also used for outdoor education, with children visiting to study wildlife and the natural environment.


Inputs from TOI