Beals is a town in Washington County, located on Beals Island and incorporated on April 7, 1925 from a portion of Jonesport, from which it is accessible by the Jonesport-Beals Bridge. Traditionally a fishing and lobstering community, the town, through Jonesport-Beals High School, has been an exporter of successful basketball teams, frequently making the state tournaments. According to a story recounted by Jim Brunelle, Long Barney Beal, was a legendary figure who lived during the Revolutionary War and inspired the naming of Barney's Point. After holding a fairly stable population since 1970, Beals suffered a significant decline in the 2000 Census as did many towns in Washington County. The Great Wass Archipelago nature preserve, in Beals and Jonesport, is managed by The Nature Conservancy. The fifteen islands (Great Wass, Crumple, Mistake, The Man Islands, Little Hardwood, Black, Mark, Seguin, Head Harbor, Devil, Marsh, Little Peabody and Big Peabody) are on the edge of the Gulf of Maine off the Jonesport peninsula. The islands have many topographical similarities though each has its own character. They are all usually cool, wet and windy. Great Wass at 1,579 acres is by far the largest and features a cool spruce forest, a wetland with sundews, and two beaches. From Maine: An Encyclopedia (www.themaineencyclopedia.com)

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