Eastport, Maine

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Eastport, Maine
Washington Street
Washington Street
Eastport, Maine (Maine)
Eastport, Maine
Eastport, Maine
Location within the state of Maine
Coordinates: 44°54′49″N 67°0′14″W / 44.91361, -67.00389
Country United States
State Maine
County Washington
Incorporated 1798
Area
 - Total 12.1 sq mi (31.2 km²)
 - Land 3.7 sq mi (9.5 km²)
 - Water 8.4 sq mi (21.8 km²)
Elevation 105 ft (32 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 1,640
 - Density 447.7/sq mi (172.9/km²)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 04631
Area code(s) 207
FIPS code 23-21730
GNIS feature ID 0565748

Eastport is a small city—-consisting entirely of islands—-in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,640 at the 2000 census (2006 estimate: 1,584). The principal island is Moose Island, which is connected to the mainland by causeway. Eastport is the easternmost city in the continental United States (although nearby Lubec is the easternmost municipality).

Contents

[edit] History

Eastport and Passamaquoddy Bay, 1839, by William Henry Bartlett
Eastport and Passamaquoddy Bay, 1839, by William Henry Bartlett

Fishermen and traders visited the area in the 1600s. Moose Island was first settled in 1772 by James Cochrane of Newburyport, Massachusetts, who would be joined by other fishermen from Newburyport and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. On February 24, 1798, Eastport was incorporated as a town from Plantation Number 8 PS by the Massachusetts General Court, and named for being the easternmost port in the United States. Lubec, on the mainland, was set off and incorporated as a town on June 21, 1811.

From 1807 to 1809, the town was a center of extensive 2-way smuggling during the Embargo Act imposed by President Thomas Jefferson. In 1809, Fort Sullivan was erected atop a village hill, but it was captured by a British fleet under command of Sir Thomas Hardy on July 11, 1814 during the War of 1812. England claimed that Moose Island was on the British side of the international border which had been determined in 1783. Nevertheless, the town was returned to United States' control in 1818. The boundary between the U. S. and Canada in the area remained disputed until settled by the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842. Eastport would be incorporated as a city on March 18, 1893.[1]

Farms produced hay and potatoes. Industries included a grain mill, box factory and carding mill. But the island's economy was primarily directed at the sea. With tides of about 25 feet (8 meters), Eastport's spacious harbor remained ice-free year round. The first sardine factory was built here about 1875. The population grew with the emergence of the sardine fishery and related canning businesses, which studded the shoreline by the end of the 19th-century. By 1886, the town contained 13 sardine factories, which operated day and night during the season, and produced approximately 5,000 cases per week. About 800 men, women and children worked in the plants. But the industry would decline, and many people moved away. Indeed, the city went bankrupt in 1937. In 1976, the Groundhog Day Gale destroyed many structures along the waterfront. Today, catching fish remains the principal industry, although tourism has become important as well. The picturesque seaport has an art colony.

Eastport is a port of entry. An international ferry crosses to Deer Island, New Brunswick during the summer months. Each 4th of July, the city becomes a destination for thousands of celebrants. Navy ships have docked there during the 4th of July celebration for many years. Eastport celebrated its bicentennial in 1998. Each September, the city hosts the annual Maine Salmon Festival in the historic downtown district.

[edit] Notable residents

Frontier National Bank in c. 1915, now the Eastport Police Station
Frontier National Bank in c. 1915, now the Eastport Police Station

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.1 square miles (31.2 km²), of which, 3.7 square miles (9.5 km²) of it is land and 8.4 square miles (21.8 km²) of it (69.65%) is water. Eastport is located on the southeasterly part of Moose Island, which lies between Cobscook Bay to the west and Passamaquoddy Bay to the east. The city faces Deer Island to the northeast and Campobello Island to the southeast -- both in Canada.

Old Sow, the largest whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere, sits on the international boundary between Eastport and Deer Island.

[edit] Demographics

Dock Scene in 1908
Dock Scene in 1908

The population peaked at 5,311 in 1900. It fell more or less constantly until about 1970 when it stabilized at around 2,000 people. As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 1,640 people, 750 households, and 444 families residing in the city. The population density was 447.7 people per square mile (173.0/km²). There were 1,061 housing units at an average density of 289.7/sq mi (111.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.60% White, 0.37% African American, 3.96% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.85% of the population.

There were 750 households out of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.69.

In the city the population was spread out with 18.7% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,488, and the median income for a family was $31,328. Males had a median income of $22,875 versus $17,917 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,864. About 11.2% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Sites of interest

[edit] Popular Culture

Eastport and neighboring Lubec, Maine were the locations for the 2001 Fox Network "reality" tv series Murder in Small Town X. Eastport/Lubec is named "Sunrise, Maine" in the series.

[edit] References

  • History of Eastport, Maine (1886)
  • John "Terry" Holt, The Island City: The History of Eastport, Moose Island, Maine, from its Founding to Present Times, 1999
  • Joshua M. Smith, Borderland Smuggling: Patriots, Loyalists and Illicit Trade in the Northeast, 1783-1820, University Press of Florida, 2006
  1. ^ Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums (1970). in Doris A. Isaacson: Maine: A Guide 'Downeast'. Rockland, Me: Courier-Gazette, Inc., 335-337. 
  2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links


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