Artist's Rendition of Early Settlers Facing Danger on Bear Island.

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Here, behind Rollie Smith's camp, are the steps to what was the Bear Island School House, which according to Meredith Town Reports existed from 1858 to 1866. Centrally located and accessible to both East and West Bear families, school house attendance reached as many as 17 pupils for a short winter term. The teacher's salary was $9.00 to $10.00 per term. When Meredith Neck School was established, the children attended it instead. That school closed in 1910 and is now a residence, situated directly across from the Meredith Neck Meeting House.

Travel across the lake in winter could be hazardous. In December, 1879, Waldo Maloon's son, David, was escorting school children from Lovejoy Sands across the ice, carrying window glass and nails he had bought in the village. Near the big wharf, the ice broke through but he managed to get his arms across firm ice and hold on while the children ran for help. Weighted down by the nails in his pockets, he finally sank into the freezing water before help arrived.

Buried in the Maloon section of the Meeting House Cemetery, his tombstone reads, "David S. Maloon, December 26, 1879, 41 years. Gone But Not Forgotten." Near David's grave are two more tombstones; one is inscribed "Fido, age 15 — He mourneth the loss of his Master." Fido, David's dog, apparently died of a broken heart. The other headstone reads, "Susan, widow of David S. Maloon, wife of Stephen B. April 17,1906, 65 years."

Along a path which leads from The Carry toward Jerry Point are two cellar holes where the Bickford homes were located, an area known as the Deserted Village. Here James Bickford lived, with his four sons, James Jr., Alonzo, Moses and Oliver. This house, located near the power lines on the Point, actually had two cellar holes, one reached from above, the other through an out­side door. One of the cellar holes was a place of refuge when officers hunted Oliver as a deserter during the Civil War. While the inner cellar was searched, Oliver hid in the outer one, which he had reached by a little passage known only to him.

William L. Putter purchased Jerry Point in 1913 from the estate of James Bickford. Born on the island in 1805, James, who died in 1888, is buried in the Meeting House Cemetery as is his brother, Jonathan, who owned a large tract of East Bear. Jonathan's son, Charles, sold this acreage to Camp Lawrence in 1921. The cellar hole of Jonathan's original house may still be seen at the camp.

The only building that remains of these earliest settlers is a barn in Stephen Maloon's pasture in The Gulf, a deep cove north of Jerry Point. Around 1880, the Maloon property was sold to Professor Silas W. Holman of Massachusetts Institute of Technol­ogy, who converted the barn into a house. In 1922, the property was sold to Dr. Chester Brown and is now owned by his daugh­ter, Betty Brown Boyd, and son-in-law, James W. Boyd.

The fate of the other settlers' homes is not known except for three that were moved across the ice to Meredith, including one at #7 Lake Street, where additions have been made to the center back portion, which came from Bear Island. The present owner, Mrs. Carl Colby, said of the early settlers, "Many left the island to seek fortunes out West where farm life was less arduous."

Fields have reverted to forest, and cellar holes have filled in. Yet memories of these early settlers live on along the paths and stone walls. They are stark reminders of the strenuous times of our island forebears, and familiar landmarks to those who trav­erse Bear Island today, more than 200 years after it was settled by Robert Bryant and his family.

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