For my groups Timeline JS project we are looking at the history of the island through the lens of ownership and use. Paul Theroux’s Art Notebook: On Allen Island gives a fairly detailed history of the sail-loft-turned-museum that sits on the edge of the island. In class we have been discussing the power dynamics that can shape a space or place. I think the sail-loft’s history when viewed through the lens of ownership and use tells a interesting narrative of power dynamics and the institutions that may control them on the island and in the mid-coast region as well. It began as a store in Port Clyde; then is was a sail loft, and when the trade became obsolete it was converted again. The building was eventually converted to a co-op, where is “amounted to almost a club, the men gathering, smoking and talking.” (Theroux). When the company insuring the building decided that the activities that took place in the building were not controllable they stopped insuring it and the building fell into ruin. In a sense when the building stopped being profitable to the group insuring it, they decided to cut their losses. This, to me, is an example of how Power can affect/control power. The sail loft as a co-op held a strong social power in the community—at least for the fishermen of the region. However in a area where fishermen have a strong social and economic influence the power they hold is quite significant. And yet, even with the power of fisherman, the power of institutions, like insurance companies, reins supreme. When looking a place, it is important to be aware of the power dynamics and institutions that affect these power dynamics. This plays a pivotal role in the way ownership and use of a space are viewed.