Brooklin, Maine
The World War II Navy veteran died on Aug. 4, in the home where he was born. Over his lifetime, he wore many hats – sea captain, boatbuilder, woodsman and folk-art toymaker.
Allen was widely known as a shipwright who, with the help of Capt. Bill Brown and some friends, built the 50-foot pinky schooner Summertime in a field near his home using plans from the Smithsonian Institution. Like its historical predecessors, Summertime was built of locally cut and seasoned woods. He didn’t get into schoonering in the Maine windjammer fleet until the early 1960s, when Cy Cousins, owner of the East Blue Hill Boat Yard, where Allen worked, bought the Stephen Taber. Allen signed on as mate.
George loved to tell stories, and entertained audiences from tourists to strangers on the street. But his favorite audiences were at the kitchen table or around a stove in a workshop. His death has changed the character of the small seaside community his family has called home since at least 1763
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