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–Not graded
History · Cousins Island

Cousins Island’s post office opened in 1885, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: maps from 1892 on.

1885first post office
1on the National Register
18%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Cousins Island began

When was Cousins Island founded?

1885

The Cousins Island post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 528141 years
Founding year: the first Cousins Island post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Cousins Island’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Cousins Island are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18924 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1970. Watch Cousins Island change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cousins Island’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Cousins Island’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Cousins Island on the map, 1892 to 1970

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cousins Island. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Cousins Island on the 1892 USGS mapCousins Island on the 1941 USGS mapCousins Island on the 1957 USGS mapCousins Island on the 1970 USGS map1892Freeport sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Cousins Island.

The story so far

Cousins Island, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Cousins Island yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Cousins Island is an island in Casco Bay within the town of Yarmouth in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. It is listed as a census-designated place, with a population of 490 as of the 2010 census. The CDP is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Its first post office opened in 1885. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 490 to 528 (+8%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your album
On the National Register

1 historic place in Cousins Island

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Cousins Island

Nobody well known was born in Cousins Island itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
S
Stephen KingAmerican novelist and writer · b. 1947
John FordAmerican film director · b. 1894
Anna KendrickAmerican actress · b. 1985
Ellen G. WhiteAmerican author, co-founder of the Seventh-day … · b. 1827
E
Elizabeth StroutAmerican novelist · b. 1956
Edwin HallAmerican physicist · b. 1855
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Littlejohn IslandIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Cousins Island’s history

What year was Cousins Island founded?

The Cousins Island post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikidata (1) and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.