The Machias Bay Region has a rich multicultural heritage. For eons,
Native Americans of various tribes journeyed to the shores of the
Machias River
each September for an annual gathering. The earliest European visitors
to the region may have been Norsemen in the eleventh century. The French
set up a trading post in 1605-1606 and the Pilgrims established an
ill-fated trading post in 1733. Another early Machias settler was the
infamous pirate Captain Samuel Bellamey. In 1763, Machias was
successfully settled by a group of pioneers from Scarborough, who found
in Machias an abundance of marsh hay, extensive forests, and a sheltered
harbor. These brave pioneers later became American patriots when they
fought and won the first naval engagement of the Revolutionary War on
June 12, 1775.
This wonderful photographic history captures how much, and yet how
little has changed over the years. These photographs chronicle not only
the rich
historical traditions of the area but also the shared sense of life's
unbroken continuity in the towns of the Machias Bay Region: Cutler, East
Machias, Jonesboro, Machias, Machiasport, Marshfield, Whiting, and
Whitneyville. The book features old vessels docking for shipments of
lumber, fishermen plying the waters for a catch, lumberjacks running
logs, horses hauling timber through the snow, the Cross Island
lifesaving station, women doing their wash at Schooner Brook, cattle
contributing to the workforce, and folks raking blueberries, and tipping
balsam branches and making wreaths. The legacy of our churches, schools,
general stores, and county buildings are featured, as well as school
sports teams. Photographs of our communities and people at both work and
play depict an artistry of another era and a glimpse into the way life
was.
