Interview of Eleanor Gilley

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Interview of Eleanor Gilley

Eleanor Hadlock Gilley, born at Seawall, talks about growing up on the island and her family's history in the area. She walked to school and says it wasn't too bad until she had to go to Southwest Harbor for high school; she remembers getting caught in a blizzard in during a commute in 1922. She stopped at a friends home in Manset and was stuck for two days. Growing up, her father had a penchant for travelling and the family often lost track of him. After high school, Eleanor would go on to teach in the area, spending a total of seventeen years between Trenton, Tremont, and Southwest Harbor. Her husband, who she met in high school, was a lifelong basketball fan and worked for the Hinckley company as a painter. Her grandmother worked in the Manset hotels doing laundry. She also talks about her great-great grandfather who was married to "The Prussian Lady" and would later die at sea. She tells stories from the Great Depression and eating "salmon loaf," as it was the only food available.

338 Main Street

Southwest Harbor

ME

USA

December 2, 1991