East Penobscot Bay History
This is a place with wild, undeveloped forests, long, wide, and often shallow lakes strewn with massive boulders, formed from the glaciers that ruled the last great ice age.
One of the last great ships built in the area was Admiral Perry's famous ship the "Roosevelt", built in 1911 on Verona Island. Rising majestically above the water across Bucksport Harbor is Fort Knox, an architectural masterpiece built from 1844 to 1846 to protect the region from yet another attack by the British. Today Fort Knox is a state park and is Maine's most-visited historic site.
Castine, is a historic jewel settled in 1604 and boasting a spectacular harbor. Long sought after by both the English and French, this early trading post and military outpost saw many occupations. The famous "Penobscot Expedition", America's worst naval defeat in history happened here in 1779. Two forts, marvelous 18th and 19th century homes and a unique, 50 building "history walking tour" of Castine add to the charm.
Blue Hill is a historic shipping and granite quarry haven. The "tidal falls" and "salt pond" are stunning natural attractions. But the town is also known for something other towns along the coast did not generally have – a copper mine. Near the end of the 19th century, copper was mined n a small scale and the ore was shipped out by sea. There was also a short lived mining boom created by talk of silver on a large scale around the same time. Just outside the village is the Parson Fisher House built in 1814 by Jonathan Fisher the town's first parson. The house is open for visitors during the summer months. For those who long for reminders of the past, the Blue Hill Fair is a real old-fashioned country fair with all the good things that old-timers remember and all the new things that the young find exciting. Every Labor Day weekend the fairgrounds just east of the village come alive with color and sound.
You'll want to check out the historic districts in Blue Hill, Castine, and Sedgwick too!
The harbor and offshore islands near Stonington still harbor ghostly echoes of the hammers and saws used to carve massive granite slabs from the bedrock to build the mighty edifices of commerce and government in eastern cities.
Click here to view Museum & Historic Site listings in our region.
Things to do in this region
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