Louds Island, also once known as Muscongus Island, is an island in

Muscongus Bay Muscongus Bay is a bay on the coast of Maine, United States, between Penobscot Bay and John's Bay. Muscongus was the name of an Abenaki village meaning "fishing place" or "many r largerock ledges." John Smith recorded the river in 1616 as Nusco ...

off the coast of Round Pond, a village of

Bristol, Maine Bristol, known from 1632 to 1765 as Pemaquid (; today a village within the town) is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,834 at the 2020 census. A fishing and resort area, Bristol includes the villages of New Har ...

. It is also an

unorganized territory Unorganized territory may refer to: * An unincorporated area in any number of countries * One of the current or former territories of the United States that has not had a government "organized" with an "organic act" by the U.S. Congress * Unorganize ...

of Maine. It is approximately long and wide at its widest point. The island did not have a

flush toilet A flush toilet (also known as a flushing toilet, water closet (WC) – see also toilet names) is a toilet that disposes of human waste (principally urine and feces) by using the force of water to ''flush'' it through a drainpipe to another lo ...

until 2009. The 2020 Census lists Louds Island with a population of 3. It is part of the

of Lincoln County.

History

According to island chronicler Charles McLane, Louds seceded from the town of Bristol and also the United States in the early 1860s—although there are differing versions of exactly why. McLane says "the secession, in any case, was real enough and Louds has remained townless to the present day and remained stateless until the early 1900s." Louds Island hosted a "vigorous settlement that peaked in the post-Civil war era," but its year-round community dwindled over the next century. Its school closed in 1962 and the last of the year-round residents departed soon thereafter. Since then Louds has hosted only summer rusticators. As of the 2010 census there were 43 housing units on the island, all for seasonal or vacation use. The Loudville Church, located near the center of the island, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

; it was built in 1913 using lumber from a schoolhouse originally on the forcibly evicted settlement of

Malaga Island Malaga Island is a island at the mouth of the New Meadows River in Casco Bay, Maine, United States. It was the site of an interracial community from the American Civil War until 1911, when the residents were forcibly evicted from the island. It ...

in Phippsburg.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the unorganized territory has a total area of 15.0 square miles (38.8 km²), of which 1.6 square miles (4.0 km²) is land and 13.4 square mile (34.7 km²) is water (90%). The island itself is 3 miles (4.8 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide at its widest point.

References

Islands of Lincoln County, Maine Islands of Maine Unorganized territories in Maine Coastal islands of Maine {{Maine-geo-stub

History

Geography

See also

References