Coastal Charm
By Carol Higgins Taylor
 Photo: Don Dunbar
Eastport is centuries old and has survived wars, storms, and a depressed economy. But nothing can keep this little town down for long.
Nothing quite portrays Vacationland like a small fishing village built on the state’s legendary rocky coast. Maine is home to many of them, each one with its own unique charm and history. Travelers whose journey takes them far enough east will be greeted by a sign that reads, “Welcome to Eastport. Easternmost City in the USA.” True enough, as Eastport is located across the bay from New Brunswick, Canada.
“We don’t have any big box stores or major chains [except for a dollar store],” says Meg Keay, president of the Eastport Chamber of Commerce. “The shops are locally owned and independent. There are no traffic lights. The town put one in but there were more accidents than before so they took it back out.”
HISTORY
Eastport may have been incorporated as a town in 1798, but the Passamaquoddy have called this area home for at least 10,000 years. The first European to explore the area was Samuel de Champlain, a French explorer who spent time in present day Calais and St. Croix Island before settling in Nova Scotia’s Port Royal.
The first settlers came from Newburyport, Massachusetts and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. These fisherman made their home in what was called Plantation Number 8 PS by the Massachusetts General Court. The name Eastport paid homage to the fact that it was the easternmost port in the United States.
Eastport has always been a fishing town. Because of Eastport’s dramatic tides—about 25 feet—the harbor remains free of ice all winter long. The first sardine factory was built in 1875 and by 1886, over a dozen sardine factories lined the town’s shores. At this time about 800 men, women, and children kept the sardine plants running 24 hours a day.
In 1893, Eastport was reincorporated as a city and experienced a burgeoning population because of the successful canning industry. It was not to last, however, and the city succumbed to bankruptcy in 1937 as the industry declined and residents moved away to find other work.
In 1976, the Groundhog Day Gale destroyed many buildings on the waterfront. Now, almost 40 years later, Eastport is shining brighter than ever. It’s a community steeped in innovation, creativity, and the can-do attitude for which Mainers are so well known.
Visitors can inhale the salt air and imagine themselves as residents of the past ambling along the streets of downtown. There are 29 buildings in the National Historic Register to help solidify visions of yesteryear. Most of these buildings are more than 100 years old; part of a rebuilding project after a massive fire destroyed the downtown area in 1886.
THE PEOPLE
Eastport may only have a population of 1,331 residents, down from the all-time high of 5,300 at the turn of the last century, but community pride is unmeasurable.
“Eastport has positive human and natural energy,” says Linda Godfrey, her voice catching in her throat, a testament to the emotional attachment residents have to their community.
Godfrey, who’s made Eastport her home for the last 24 years, is a partner in The Commons, located at 15 Sea Street. The building was built in 1908 and was then known as the American Can Building. Ownership of the historic building most recently changed hands in 2003. Nine area women—Sue Crawford, Alice Otis, Ruth Brown, Alice Gough, Anna Baskerville, Med McGarvey, Nancy Asante, Linda Godfrey, and Vera Francis—are bringing life and commerce back into the old building with the intent to honor the town’s fishing history while creating new space to showcase local creativity.
“Eastport has a collaborative nature,” says Godfrey. “We build on the past. We honor where we are, and the challenges we have here, so that we can be built upon that in the future.”
And build they do. Right down to the language. Godfrey was frustrated by the use of “de” words—like depressed and decline—when hearing or reading descriptions of Eastport. She and her group set about changing the verbiage that perpetuates the vision of their fair city. “These are negative words and they are not a good representation of Eastport,” Godfrey says. “We need to use words that tell the real story. The ‘re’ words, like reinvent, reenergize, and renew. That is what Eastport is all about.”
Eastport is willing, hoping, and expecting to be a role model and a leader as a revitalized community as well as to learn from other communities who have done the same, Godfrey says. “Eastport has a strong future. And we take good care of our elders, our children, and the community.”
TOURISM & THE ARTS
While the sardine industry has waned in Eastport, the tourism industry has grown. “Fishing is not what it used to be,” Keay says. “Sardines came and went. Waters all over the world have been fished out. Tourism in July and August has a major impact on us. Without it, I don’t think we’d survive. And every dollar that comes into town gets turned over four or five times. It has a ripple effect in the community.”
There is plenty for tourists to see and do in Eastport. There are numerous museums for history enthusiasts, including extensive historical Passamaquoddy Tribal culture, breathtaking scenery for artists to commit to canvas, whale watching, bird watching, and festivals of all sorts.
Nature lovers will find Eastport a paradise. Seafarers will rejoice in the aquatic wildlife that includes whales, porpoises, and seals, while the more adventurous might seek passage via motorboat across the whirlpool named Old Sow, located between Moose Island in Eastport and Deer Island in New Brunswick. It’s said that the name Old Sow came about because pig-like sounds could be heard coming from the whirlpool. Old Sow doesn’t churn alone, as there are numerous smaller whirlpools, deemed “piglets,” in close proximity.
Old Sow is the largest natural whirlpool in the western hemisphere and is only one of five significant whirlpools worldwide. In fact, the Old Sow Whirlpool Survivors’ Association issues certificates to those who have bravely passed through this tidal phenomenon and survived.
Landlubbers can have the best of both worlds by combing the rocky beaches in search of lost treasures left behind by others and beautiful, coveted sea glass. Others who are itching for a longer trek can don their hiking gear and head to the 90-acre Shackford Head State Park on Moose Island, named for Captain John Shackford, a veteran of the Revolutionary War and a settler of the island. It’s not a particularly long journey by hiking standards, and those making the trip will be rewarded by breathtaking scenery.
City dwellers might prefer a walk around downtown to take in art galleries and restaurants while enjoying spectacular views of Passamaquoddy Bay and the Canadian Maritimes. Eastport is only about four square miles, but the activities and possibilities are boundless.
Keay, who moved to Eastport from New Hampshire in 2006, describes the coastal city with warmth and pride. “People are very hard working, sincere, religious, and patriotic,” she says. “They are community oriented and work hard to care for one another.”
The community energy lends itself to the muses who are ensconced in this city of artists. Dozens of artists and craftspeople sell their creations at The Shop at The Commons. Everything from burl bowls, to garments, to paintings, to jewelry are on display just waiting to capture the eye of the right buyer. The Shop is but one of the entities taking up space in this iconic building. The building also has space for meeting rooms, small theatre performance possibilities, room or suite rentals, and Road Scholar, formerly known as Elderhostel, which is a not-for-profit organization that provides educational travel tours to adults.
Another creative hot spot in town is the Tides Institute and Museum of Art, home to an art reference library and works by local artists on both sides of the border.
“The Tides Institute represents a connector, collector, preserver, and innovator to the community,” says the director of the institute, Hugh French. “We work a lot with Canada in an effort to encourage greater cross border cultural ties. We’re systematically building cultural collections that reflect this region and connect it to a broader world.”
The Tides Institute began in 2002 and was only one of two places open on Sunday afternoons. “Back then, on a good Sunday, we might have one person come in,” says French. “Now, Sunday is often our best day with 50 or more people coming in and 15 or more other business open in the downtown.”
Foodies will love the Pantry Store at Raye’s Mustard Mill and Museum, which is the last operating stone-ground mustard mill in the country.
Music is alive and well in Eastport. The Eastport Strings, a nonprofit community children’s strings ensemble, helps encourage children to nurture their talent. The ensemble’s youngsters consist of violinists, violists, cellists, and double-bassists. The organization is a constituent group of the Eastport Arts Center, located in the former Washington Street Baptist Church, built in 1837. The Center boasts a 106-seat auditorium, a stage, and professional lighting. The historic building has become home to many creative groups enabling the Center to continue fostering the imagination of the community’s artists and musicians.
EASTPORT GUARDIAN
Eastport is watched over by a 12-foot statue of a bearded, gruff-looking fisherman who is clutching a large fish. He looks like he could have been their guardian for centuries. In reality, the statue is a prop from the Hollywood production of Murder in Small Town X, which was filmed in Eastport in 2000. When the television mini-series wrapped up, the production company gave the fisherman statue to the city, much to the delight of the residents.
Ten contestants took part in this whodunit reality show and tried to solve a murder for a $100,000 purse. A New York City firefighter, Angel Luis Juarbe, Jr., 35, walked away with the prize. Tragically he was killed in the bombing of the World Trade Center. The statue also holds a special place in the annual 9/11 remembrance when Eastport pays homage to Juarbe.
To the city of Eastport, the giant fisherman was more than mere staging. The old seafarer, who looks suspiciously like John Pike Grady, an Eastport icon, historian, and philanthropist, became a symbol of the community.
The statue is a tourist attraction, with hundreds of people taking photos of it every year. It is also a staple in the 4th of July celebration. But in 2005, Godfrey recalls, the statue’s presence in the festivities was iffy. The fisherman was sent half-way across the country to be refurbished, and some worried it would not be back in time for the parade.
“You should have seen it,” Godfrey says. “The parade was coming to an end and the very last thing was a flatbed truck with the statue lying down in the back. What that truck driver went through to get it here on time!” Cheers erupted from the crowd and the statue was back in its rightful home.
BUSINESS INNOVATION
Eastport is about building business and innovation. A great example is Millennium Marine, which moved to Eastport from New Brunswick, Canada. The boat-building company has set up shop in the Guilford Mill, and is bringing jobs into the coastal community.
Significant investment, both private and public, has been made in Eastport’s downtown in the last decade with new restaurants, new galleries, and new stores like a pet store, candy store, and recently a pharmacy.
Economically, growth in Eastport is also happening at a grassroots level. Eat Local Eastport is a coordinated effort that connects farmers with their customers to bring more year-round access to Maine-grown foods. In keeping with the concept of renewable resources that the Eastport community lives by, Eat Local Eastport’s farmers employ sustainable growing practices, including several who are Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association certified organic producers.
In an effort to preserve the freshness of her own produce, Sally Erickson invented the Vejibag, and the promise of “No more slimy vegetables.”
When Erickson invented the bag, she made a decision not to compromise which is why she is adamant about using 100% U.S. grown and milled organic materials in her bags, which are reusable, returnable, environmentally friendly, and functional, saving not only natural resources but money by reducing wasted produce.
“I decided, while designing the bag, that if I was going to do it, I was going to do it right,” she says. Erickson wanted everything natural and locally done. The fabric comes from Texas because Maine doesn’t grow cotton and the tags are made from recycled paper.
“The bags are as green as it gets,” says Erickson proudly. She is excited to be attending the New England Made Giftware & Specialty Food Show this month in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.
The concept is ingeniously simple and true to nature. Vegetables love moisture but they also need to breathe which is impossible when they are crammed into plastic bags. Once dampened, the Vejibags allow the moisture to slowly evaporate, keeping the vegetables moist but breathing. The result is fresher produce for a much longer period of time.
“People are so happy to be able to keep their high-quality, locally grown organic product fresher longer with the bags,” Erickson says. “People also like that they are made locally by two women in their own homes.”
Ventures such as this are often thought of as big city activity, the product of corporate America. But ingenuity is not based on geography.
“Young smarties, as I call them with so much admiration, have lived here or visited here and come back and prove that you can live anywhere and do great things,” Godfrey says.
The only thing missing in Eastport, according to Keay, are beds. “What we really need here is a hotel,” she says. “If any developers are reading this, we need beds. We had two bed and breakfasts but the owners have retired so they closed.”
One project that has been making news recently is new innovation that takes advantage of a natural resource—the ocean’s tide. The Maine Tidal Energy Project is using the tides in the Bay of Fundy, between Eastport and Canada, to produce sustainable electricity. Over 100 billion tons of water flow in and out of this bay each day, making it one of the most robust tidal energy resources anywhere in the world.
Ocean Renewable Power Company has been working on the Maine Tidal Energy Project since 2006, and plans to use the tides to create enough electricity to power about 2,000 homes and businesses. Maine’s economy has benefitted from the $21 million that has been invested into the state, which includes more than $5 million in Eastport and Lubec.
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