Lubec is a town in
Washington CountyWashington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2000, its population was 33,941. Its county seat is Machias.Sometimes referred to as "Sunrise Country" because it is the easternmost county in the contiguous United States, and it is often where the rising sun first shines on...
,
MaineThe State of Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is the northernmost portion of...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,652 at the 2000 census. Lubec is the easternmost town in the contiguous United States (see
Extreme points of the United StatesThis is a list of the extreme points of the United States, the points that are farther north, south, east, or west than any other location in the country. Also included are extreme points in elevation.-Northernmost:...
). However, the
Aleutian IslandsThe Aleutian Islands are a chain of more than 300 small volcanic islands forming part of the Aleutian Arc in the Northern Pacific Ocean, occupying an area of 6,821 sq mi and extending about westward from the Alaska Peninsula toward the Kamchatka Peninsula...
in Alaska extend into the eastern hemisphere, and if territories (
Insular areaAn insular area is a United States territory, that is neither a part of one of the fifty U.S. states nor the District of Columbia, the federal district of the United States....
s) are included,
Point UdallPoint Udall refers to two places, named after two brothers, which are the easternmost and westernmost points in the United States:*Point Udall - named after Mo Udall...
in the U.S. Virgin Islands extends farther east.
The town is home to
Quoddy Head State ParkQuoddy Head State Park is a park located four miles off Maine State Route 189 in Lubec, Maine on the easternmost point of land in the continental United States...
.
History
Located on a
peninsulaA peninsula is a piece of land that is nearly surrounded by water but connected to mainland via an isthmus. Word origin: Latin paenīnsula : paene, almost + īnsula, island.A peninsula can also be a headland, cape, island promontory, bill, point, or spit....
overlooking an excellent ice-free harbor, the town was first settled about 1780. Originally part of
EastportEastport is a small city—-consisting entirely of islands—-in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,640 at the 2000 census. The principal island is Moose Island, which is connected to the mainland by causeway...
, it was set off and incorporated on June 21, 1811 and named for
Lübeck, GermanyThe Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage is on UNESCO's list of World...
. Following the
War of 1812The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , lasted from 1812 to 1815. It was fought chiefly on the Atlantic Ocean and on the land, coasts and waterways of North America.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S...
, Lubec was the site of a considerable smuggling trade in
gypsumGypsum is a very soft mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO
4·2H
2O.-Crystal varieties:...
, although principal industries remained
agricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
and fisheries. By 1859, there was a
tanneryTanning is the process of making leather, which does not easily decompose, from the skins of animals, which do. Often this uses tannin, an acidic chemical compound. Coloring may occur during tanning....
, 3
gristmillA gristmill or grist mill is a building in which grain is ground into flour, or the grinding mechanism itself. In many countries these are referred to as corn mills or flour mills.- Early history :...
s and 9
sawmillA sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of 100 years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s; by 1886, there were also 2
shipyardShipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
s, 3 boatbuilders and 3
sailmakerA sailmaker is a person who makes and repairs sails for sailboats, typically working on shore in a sail loft.The sail loft consists of many other sailmakers as well. Large ocean-going sailing ships often carried sailmakers among the crew...
s.
From 1896 to 1898 the town was the site of a swindle in the sale of stock in the Electolytic Marine Salts Company, the brainchild of Reverend Prescott Jernegan, who had purportedly developed a method of using "accumulators" to get gold from sea water.
http://www.miningswindles.com/html/gold_from_seawater.html
Jacqueline and Robert Norton, two retirees from Lubec, were passengers on the ill-fated
American Airlines Flight 11American Airlines Flight 11 was a scheduled U.S. domestic passenger flight from Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles International Airport...
which was crashed into the
World Trade CenterThe World Trade Center was a complex in Lower Manhattan in New York City whose seven buildings were destroyed in 2001 in the September 11 terrorist attacks...
in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Robert Norton, 85, was the oldest person to die that day directly as a result of the attacks.
http://neverforget911.org/americanairlinesflight11.aspx
Geography
Lubec is located in northeastern Maine, at .
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the town has a total area of 78.9
square mileThe square mile is an imperial and US unit of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one statute mile.
s (204.2 km²), of which, 33.3 square miles (86.1 km²) of it is land and 45.6 square miles (118.1 km²) of it (57.82%) is water. Lubec is located on a peninsula in
Passamaquoddy BayPassamaquoddy Bay is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy, between the U.S. state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick, at the mouth of the St. Croix River. Most of the bay lies within Canada, with its western shore bounded by Washington County, Maine. The southernmost point is formed by...
, slightly south of
EastportEastport is a small city—-consisting entirely of islands—-in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,640 at the 2000 census. The principal island is Moose Island, which is connected to the mainland by causeway...
. The West Quoddy Head is southeast.
West Quoddy Head in Lubec, Maine is the easternmost point in the United States, located at longitude. It is adjacent to the Quoddy Narrows, a narrow strait between Canada and the United States, one of the entrances into Passamaquoddy Bay. Since 1808, there has been a
lighthouseA lighthouse is a tower, building, or framework designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire and used as an aid to navigation and to pilots at sea....
on the site to guide ships through this waterway. The present one with distinctive red-and-white stripes was built in 1858.
The town is crossed by
Maine State Route 189State Route 189 is a numbered state highway in Maine, running from U.S. Route 1 in Whiting in the west to the Canadian border at Lubec in the east. In Lubec the route crosses the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge when entering Campobello Island, New Brunswick...
. The
Franklin Delano Roosevelt BridgeThe Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge is an international bridge, which connects Maine State Route 189 in the community of Lubec, Maine in the United States with Campobello Island in the Canadian province of New Brunswick across the Lubec Narrows. The bridge is named for former President of the...
connects Lubec to Campobello Island,
New BrunswickNew Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally bilingual province in the confederation. The provincial capital is Fredericton...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 1,652 people, 755 households, and 427 families residing in the town. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 49.7 people per square mile (19.2/km²). There were 1,072 housing units at an average density of 32.2/sq mi (12.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.94% White, 0.36% African American, 0.18% Asian, 0.06% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population.
There were 755 households out of which 20.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 37.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% 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 2.77.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.4% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $20,565, and the median income for a family was $26,098. Males had a median income of $25,170 versus $19,375 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the town was $13,081. About 20.3% of families and 28.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 49.6% of those under age 18 and 20.6% of those age 65 or over.
Sites of interest
Notable residents
- Myron Avery
Myron Haliburton Avery was an American lawyer, hiker and explorer. Born in Lubec, Maine, Avery was a protégé of Judge Arthur Perkins and a collaborator and sometimes rival of Benton MacKaye. He was president of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club from 1927 to 1941 and chairman of the Appalachian...
, lawyer, hiker and explorer
- James Henry Carleton
James Henry Carleton was an officer in the Union army during the American Civil War. Carleton is most famous as an Indian fighter in the southwestern United States.-Biography:Carleton was born in Lubec, Maine...
, brevet major general
Further reading
- Joshua M. Smith, Borderland Smuggling: Patriots, Loyalists and Illicit Trade in the Northeast, 1783-1820 (Gainesville, University Press of Florida, 2006).
External links