Bob Greene, Independent Journalist & Historian

Malaga Island and National Perspectives

This presentation explores the history of Malaga Island, a small island off the coast of Maine that became a flashpoint of class, race, and social prejudice in post-Civil War America. Once home to a racially mixed, self-sufficient community of fishermen and laborers, Malaga became the target of increasing scrutiny and disdain as nearby coastal towns transformed into upper-class summer resorts. Sensationalist media depicted the islanders as immoral and uncivilized, fueling public outrage and political action. In 1912, under pressure from the state and real estate interests, the residents were forcibly evicted, their homes dismantled, and even their cemetery exhumed. Some were institutionalized. The real motive? Clearing the island to make way for tourism and wealthy vacationers. Though never developed, Malaga Island's story stands as a stark reminder of how social and racial biases shaped public policy and erased an entire community from the map.

A Portland native, Bob Greene is the eighth generation of his family born in Cumberland County, with ancestral roots in Maine dating back to the 1700s. Following a respected career in journalism, he returned to his home state, where his genealogical research forged a deep knowledge of Maine’s Black history. Greene served as an advisor and contributor to Maine’s Visible Black History: The First Chronicle of Its People and is the author of Maine Roots V: The Manuel, Mathews, Ruby Family, which explores his own family’s story. He has taught at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Southern Maine and is a recipient of Maine Historical Society’s Neal Allen Award for outstanding contributions to Maine history.