Eastport Maine

Nestled between Cobscook Bay and Passamaquoody Bay, inside the Bay of Fundy, rests the City of Eastport, Maine. Its physical position gives credence to the name. Eastport: the eastern most port in the United States. With a healthy tourist following, major shipping port, large fishing industry, and unusual tidal forces Eastport, Maine has unique identity.

Incorporated into the United States on February 24, 1798, Eastport became the eastern most city within the United States. At the time the city of Eastport consisted of Moose Island, Dudley’s Island, Frederic Island, and a portion of the Maine mainland. Thirteen years later in 1811 the mainland portion split off, becoming the town of Lubec.

Eastport has become a significant port for trade in the Bay of Fundy. With tugboats at its disposal, the Eastport Port Authority has the ability to safely guide large cargo ships into port.  

Eastport became a good shipping and fishing port because of its wide open bay and because the water never freezes. The water stays liquid because of the bay’s incredible tide cycles. The tide will, on average, rise then fall twenty four feet in a cycle. This heavy tidal flow keeps water from freezing.

A significant portion of Eastport’s economy comes from the fishing industry. When the city fishing industry peeked in 1886, the city was home to thirteen sardine packing plants which ran day and night. By 1937 the sardine packing industry had declined, causing the plants to close, bankrupting the city.

Though the sardine industry has largely disappeared, fishery pins mark the bay around Eastport. The bay is also home to lobster trapping. Some companies such as the Eastport Lobster & Fish Company not only fish and trap lobsters, but also run restaurants out of their own ports. These trapping companies ship their catch all over the United States.

Tourism supports the economy of Eastport. Eastport serves as a point of entry into the United States. It sees both domestic and international tourists, as well as being a waypoint for travelers going in and out of the United States.

Tourist attractions in or around Eastport include The Old Sow, the largest whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere, and Raye’s Mustard Mill, a working stone ground mustard mill museum. The exceptionally deep waters directly off of the waterfront peers also make Eastport exceptionally good for casual fishermen.

On a historical side note, the massive tidal ebb of the bay around Eastport was once considered to be a prime candidate for an electrical dam under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal Public Works Administration. The project was never completed because it did not receive enough funding. However the construction of the dikes for the dam now functions as causeways leading into Eastport. These causeways lead from Pleasant Point on the mainland, to Carlow Island, to Moose Island. The causeways have become the primary method of accessing the city from the United States mainland by road and a now defunct Main Central Railroad line. Although the project never saw completion, a small scale mockup exists in the Quoddy Maritime Museum.

In recent years a number of less invasive projects to build hydro electrical plants have found themselves proposed. Instead of building a massive dam and possibly disrupting the wildlife as well as the tidal flow of the bay, these newer ideas involve placing water driven turbines in the areas of high water flow. Although pilot programs have been put into effect, large scale deployment has yet to happen.

The city of Eastport has seen both prosperity and bankruptcy. Through its over two hundred years it has carved a little place in the world. Its unusual tide and strategic placement has been the tools of fascination and profit. These give Eastport its own personality among the coastal towns of the United States.