GREAT CRANBERRY ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Videos

Marjorie Phippen Interview

Cover of the DVD

Marjorie Phippen (1904-2002) was born on Great Cranberry Island, and lived here most of her life.  She was Postmaster for 15 years.

At age 97 she still sharply recalls in this video the sad, humorous, and unusual island events and characters of long ago:

• her parents and grandparents
• her sister Hilda, church organist for 50 years
• the house where they grew up
• eating homemade ice cream on Fair Day
• schools on the island
• waitressing at the Hamor Tea House
• dances in the boathouse there
• dances in the Town Hall over the School
• Les White, bandleader
• her husband, Leslie Phippen
• his occupations
• their house
• their five children
• cooking for the summer people
• painter Scott White on GCI & Islesford
• walking to SW Harbor & Islesford on ice
• Milton Phippen riding motorcycle on ice
• working as postmaster
• post offices on the island
• recalling Rose Wedge
• doctors who visited the island
• her typhoid & scarlet fever episodes
• the Newells' visits
• Fred Day's troubles as a youth
• when electricity & phones came to GCI
• Indians collecting sweetgrass
• how the island changed over the years

The video is available as DVD.

The DVD contains the 28-minute edited interview, as well as the complete unedited interview of 1 hour, 14 minutes, for historical purposes.