Asa and I visited the easternmost city in the United States, Eastport, Maine! Located on Moose Island, this area was frequented by the Passamaquoddy for thousands of years. It was first visited by European explorers, fishermen, and traders in the 1600s, but it wasn’t until 1811 that it was incorporated as a town. Thanks to its large harbor that remains ice-free in the winter, by 1833 Eastport became the second largest trading port in the country after New York City, and eventually was known as the Sardine Capital of the World! With its rapidly growing population to work in the factories, Eastport was designated as a city in 1893. Today Moose Island is connected to the mainland by a causeway, thus making Eastport a popular seasonal tourist destination.
On the day we visited, we took a stroll along their Waterfront Park, and were greeted by the 12 foot tall Eastport Fisherman who watches over the commercial pier. Some may recognize this statue from the 2001 Fox reality TV show, Murder in Small Town X, in which contestants worked to solve a mystery. Today the statue is dedicated to Ángel Juarbe, Jr., the winner of the series and a New York firefighter killed in the World Trade Center collapse on September 11, one week after the finale.
The Eastport Fisherman isn’t alone in watching over the harbor. He is joined a few feet away by Nerida, a bronze mermaid sculpture.
The last sardine factory closed its doors here in 1983, but one throwback from those days continues. Established in 1900, Raye’s Mustard continues to make traditional stone ground mustard. It is the last mill of its kind in North America, and continues to be manufactured by the fourth generation of the Raye family. Not wanting to miss out on tasting it, we ventured into town and waited patiently while Mom went to purchase a jar. I wonder if President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s dog, Fala, ever waited patiently on this sidewalk for Eleanor, as she shopped in Eastport? Their summer retreat, Campobello Island, can be seen across the harbor, and Eleanor Roosevelt was a frequent visitor to Eastport.
Speaking of islands, Eastport was also the location of Fort Sullivan. Built in 1808, it holds the distinction of being the only fortification in the United States continuously occupied by the British during the War of 1812. British Commodore Sir Thomas Hardy, 1st Baronet conquered the fort in 1814 and renamed it Fort Sherbrooke after John Coape Sherbrooke, the Governor of Nova Scotia. Moose Island was part of their plan to establish the the entire coast east of Penobscot Bay as New Ireland. It remained under British control until 1818, when through negotiations it was returned to the United States in exchange for other larger islands farther east. The fort was officially decommissioned in 1873. The officer barracks were later relocated in town, and opened as a museum. Only remains of the powder house remain in the original location of Fort Sullivan.
Today Eastport continues to be invaded, but now it is by happy tourists, including two Golden Retrievers who thoroughly enjoyed their visit to the United States’ easternmost city.
