Island Organizations
Great Cranberry Island
Historical Society
The Great Cranberry Island Historical Society (GCIHS) collects, preserves and studies the history and genealogy of Great Cranberry and its neighboring islands, and presents diverse cultural and educational programs. The GCIHS promotes a strong sense of community through its museum, archives, cafe, and lively arts center upstairs at Cranberry House. The grounds include public hiking trails to Whistler's Cove and Preble Cove, two fish & frog ponds, three gardens, an arts studio, the Second Chance Thrift Shop, the historic Sammy Sanford Cabin, the Wini Smart Kids Recreation Shack, and Hitty's Cafe. Seasonally, GCIHS also operates a free (donations appreciated) golf cart shuttle service from the Town Dock to the end of Cranberry Road and the Cranberry Shores Trail.
Cranberry Isles Realty Trust (CIRT) was established in 1996 to nurture and sustain a vibrant island community by providing year-round housing opportunities for working families. CIRT accomplishes this by purchasing and building affordable housing for qualifying applicants.
CIRT provides ten year-round affordable rental homes, five on both GCI and Islesford. CIRT has also helped three families buy their own year-round homes on the islands. 25-30% of the community's year-round residents live in CIRT-assisted homes. See CranberryIslesRealtyTrust.org for more information.
The Great Cranberry Library is open year-round and is part of the Maine State Library network. Connected to the library is the Longfellow School which , along with the Ashley Bryan School on Little Cranberry Island (Islesford), make up the K-8 Cranberry Isles School.
Great Cranberry Congregational Church
Great Cranberry Congregational Church offers Sunday services with a diverse array of visiting ministers throughout the year, summer vacation bible school, interfaith and youth programs, and a concert series. Check the Community Calendar on this site for special event listings.
Ladies Aid Community Center
The Cranberry Island Ladies Aid Community Center supports year-round events for the Great Cranberry community. Everything from pot-luck suppers, vaccine clinics and community meetings to the annual Ladies Aid Fair, the Harvest Supper and visits from Santa. It also serves as support during storms or power outages, with drinking water, a kitchen and food storage.