A Visit to Eastport, Maine

Eastport is not a Maine place one happens to pass through on their way to somewhere else. One gets to Eastport because it was their intended destination.

You’ve likely heard that Eastport is the easternmost city in the United States. It also has the smallest population of any city in Maine. Many Mainers haven’t had the opportunity to visit. Eastport is waaaay Downeast so it’s quite a distance from most people’s “here” to “there.” If you’re in Kittery, for example, the trip will require 300 miles, one-way. All the same, Mainers throughout the state are familiar with Eastport. I haven’t needed to pull out my Maine Atlas & Gazetteer even once when telling folks about this trek.

So Eastport is a familiar point and a beautiful community with a long history. Like many other Maine towns and cities, it has changed considerably over the past century. But everywhere you turn, there are reminders of its rich heritage coupled with signs of a vibrant community.

Some parts of this city tie the past and present together. One of those is Raye’s Mustard. You might have one of their products in your kitchen. Their mill is here; it’s the last traditional stone ground mustard mill in North America. It was started in 1900 by the Raye family, and they’re still the owners. They have a storefront on Water Street which I stopped by to see. It is the prettiest mustard store imagineable.

There is much to explore in Eastport. Water Street alone has more history than can be absorbed in one visit. The buildings display architectural character. Most of the oldest ones were built after the devastating fire of 1886.

All over Maine there are brick buildings with the years displayed in brick, such as they are here. Think of all the people who have stepped through these doors since 1887.

Nearly two hundred years ago, only New York City was a larger trading port than Eastport. For generations, the city prospered due to businesses such as sardine fishing and canning. There are no tins of sardines being packed here anymore, but fishing remains a top industry. The arts and tourism also play key roles in 21st century Eastport.

If you’ve visited Eastport, or seen photos of it, the iconic statue below is likely one you came across. It reminded me of an important lesson:

always read the plaque.

I wonder how many have missed the sobering words on that simple piece of metal attached to the front of the base…

“This statue was built in 2001 for Fox Television’s filming of its reality mini-series, Murder in Small Town X. Restored in 2005 with donated funds and services, the statue is now a tribute to Angel Juarbe, Jr., the New York City fireman who won the $250,000 grand price in the mini-series and soon after lost his life as one of the first responders to the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001.”

A reminder: today we are writing the pages of tomorrow’s history.