Have You Ever Heard of Mistake Island ?

 Mistake Island:

Mistake Island is an island in Washington County, in the U.S. state of Maine. The island contains little vegetation. Mistake Island has been noted for its unusual place name.

lighthouse on Mistake Island

Moose Peak Light stands high atop Mistake Island  The lighthouse is closed to general visitors.

location:

Located off the coast of Jonesport, Mistake Island is just a 30-acre island in the state of Maine, US with coordinates – 44°28’29.2″N, 67°32’06.4″W.

This island consists of a lighthouse – Moose Peak Light, few houses, and some vegetation. Although it may seem as though the name “Mistake Island”was coined just for no reason or as a joke, the name is actually a corruption of the word “Moosabec” – a name believed to have had its origins in an Abenaki word, possibly meaning “moose head”.

Reason for this name:

Looking at the surroundings around Mistake Island, there seems to be no logic at all for it’s name.

This only shows that there don’t always have to be a reason behind naming places.

It all comes down to a misunderstanding.

The body of water known as Moosabec Reach, off the northern Maine coast about halfway between Bar Harbor and Eastport, separates Jonesport from Beals Island and several smaller islands, among them our rather unfortunate Mistake Island. The name “Moosabec” is believed to have had its origins in an Abenaki Indian word, possibly meaning “moose head.”

The name of the approximately 30-acre Mistake Island, about four miles south of Moosabec Reach at the southwest side of the Main Channel Way, appears to be another corruption of “Mooseabec.” Mistake and several nearby islands were sometimes collectively referred to as the Moose Peak Islands.