In early 1942, Capt. O.C. Badger, commanding officer of the battleship North Carolina (BB-55), identified Little Chebeague Island as a site for a recreational center for the crews of Navy ships operating in Casco Bay.
In 1942, sailors began using the island for baseball games, lobster dinners, and other recreational activities, based on an informal agreement with the owner of the majority of the island.
