[5] European explorers Martin Pring visited in 1603, Samuel de Champlain in 1604, George Weymouth in 1605 and Captain John Smith in 1614.

[6] It was Monhegan traders who taught English to Samoset, the chieftain who in 1621 startled the Pilgrims by boldly walking into their new village at Plymouth and saying: "Welcome, Englishmen.

The pirates eventually realized the Whydah was lost, and proceeded to attack vessels at Matinicus Island and Pemaquid (now Bristol).

[10] Despite success as a fishing and trade center, Monhegan would be caught in the conflict between New England and New France for control of the region.

During King Philip's War (1675-1678), dispossessed English settlers from the mainland sought refuge on the island before being relocated elsewhere along the coast.

The end of the French and Indian War in 1763 brought peace to the area, and on September 4, 1839, Mohegan—again under English Colonial control—was incorporated as an island plantation.

[6] In 1824, a conical stone lighthouse was built on the island by order of Congress and President James Monroe.

Damaged by storms, it was replaced in 1850 by the present 48 foot (14.6 m) granite tower, with a fog bell station built in 1855 on nearby Manana Island.

Two of the early artists in residence from the 1890s, William Henry Singer (1868–1943) and Martin Borgord (1869–1935), left Monhegan to study at the Académie Julian in 1901.

Among many early members who found inspiration on the island were summer visitors from the New York School of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, such as Robert Henri, Frederick Judd Waugh, George Bellows, Edward Hopper and Rockwell Kent.

Later members of the artist colony have included Jay Hall Connaway, Abraham Bogdanove, Andrew Winter, Reuben Tam, Frances Kornbluth, Elena Jahn, Lynne Drexler, Edward Betts, and Jamie Wyeth.

[14] The 150-foot (50 m) northside cliffs at Blackhead have drawn the interest of Monhegan artists, including Kent,[15] Hopper,[16] and Kornbluth.

Much of Monhegan is uninhabited and open for exploration on 17 miles (27 km) of hiking trails,[21] which lead to high cliffs overlooking the sea.

[22] A tradition of building miniature "fairy houses" from found materials in Cathedral Woods and other areas has brought controversy, guidance and even destruction of non-compliant constructions.