Built in 1912, the Stonington Opera House, on Deer Isle, is one of the few early 20th-century performance halls in Maine. It is the current home of Opera House Arts (OHA), a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring and preserving the historic building to its original purpose as a central community institution. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. Deer Isle used to be famous for its granite quarries. Now it’s best known as a summer vacation place.
“At the edge of the forest the thistles
were attaching themselves to the fur of animals.
What serendipity to hitch a ride to your future’’
From “How to Start Over,’’ by Stuart Kestenbaum, a Deer Isle, Maine-based poet and cultural leader.
Deer Isle in 1907. It’s more wooded now.
