My mother was born and raised in the idyllic seacoast town of Eastport, Maine. Born in an old farmhouse on Fort Hill she married my father after meeting him when in was working on the Quoddy Tidal Power Project before World War II. We would return each summer to Eastport for family vacations and I fell in love with the area. Later after my parents retired they moved to nearby Pembroke, Maine and my young adulthood was spent visiting them whenever I could. I decided to show Alex and Rita where I spent so many formative years.
I showed Rita and Alex Fort Hill where my grandmother’s house was located, it is now the location of the town high school.
Also on the hill is the site of the Fort Sullivan a War of 1812 era fortification.
We next headed straight to downtown and the breakwater pier for hotdogs at Rosie’s.
Rosie’s is renowned for its hotdogs and we would grab a dog and hang out at the breakwater almost every day during our summer vacations.
The dogs and fries were as good as I remembered.
We ate our lunch while we watched the mackerel fishermen out on the pier. When Alex finished his lunch he tried his hand at fishing and reeled in a few.
A trip down Water Street led us past some historic old buildings like the Post Office, The Peavey Library and others.
The town has a great mixture of old establishments still in use and new restaurants and shops, the quintessential New England seacoast town.
There is a pedestrian walkway paralleling the seashore that can’t be missed.
The highlight of the walk is the fisherman statue which has become a symbol of the town.
The statue was erected for a reality TV show called “Murder in Small Town-X” which was filmed in Eastport. The winner of the show was New York City fireman Angel Juarbe Jr. who was tragically killed during the 9-11 attack on New York. The statue now also serves as memorial to Juarbe.
On the way out of town make a stop at Raye’s Mustard Mill and Museum.
Tours are everyday in the summer at 10:30. Mustard is no longer sold at the mill but is available downtown.
If you are in the mood for nature Shackford Head State Park is just out of town.
Just offshore Eastport in the Bay of Fundy is the Old Sow Whirlpool one of the biggest in the world.
Book a room in any of the many inns or B&Bs and make this a destination. Not only are there many things to see and do in Eastport itself the surrounding area is rich in history, natural beauty and is the perfect place to relax.
