The natural beauty of Monhegan Island has continuously attracted generations of artists, day-trippers, and summer sojourners. White Head, Pulpit Rock, and Cathedral Woods are names that resonate throughout New England and beyond. Long before the first ferry full of seasonal visitors arrived, the Monhegan Island fishermen had established a permanent community on the island, scratching out an existence on a remote offshore outpost. As early as 1890, prominent artists Robert Henri and George Bellows, followed by Rockwell Kent and Jamie Wyeth, captured the magnificence of Monhegan. They shared the cliffs and coves with the lighthouse keepers, carpenters, lobstermen, and the island people.
Margot Sullivan, local author and Monhegan resident, has written several articles on the history of Monhegan Island. Marshfield, Massachusetts, town historian Cynthia Hagar Krusell was the curator of the Monhegan Museum from 1979 to 1990 and is the author of several local history titles, including Marshfield. John J. Galluzzo is the author of 12 Arcadia Publishing titles, including Isles of Shoals, and is a nationally known authority on the history of the United States Coast Guard.