Penobscot Bay originates from the mouth of Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

's Penobscot River

Penobscot River

The Penobscot River is a river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's West Branch and South Branch increases the Penobscot's length to , making it the second longest river system in Maine and the longest entirely in the state. Its drainage basin contains .It arises from four branches...

. There are many islands in this bay, and on them, some of the country's most well-known summer colonies

Summer colony

The term summer colony is often used, particularly in the United States and Canada, to describe well-known resorts and upper-class enclaves, typically located near the ocean or mountains of New England or the Great Lakes...

. The bay served as portal for the one time "lumber capital of the world," namely; the city of Bangor

Bangor, Maine

Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...

. Named after the major river that feeds it, this bay area forms part of the traditional homeland of the Wabanaki Indians, in particular the Penobscot tribe (also named after this river). For thousands of years, they hunted, fished, and gathered clams and other food in this bay area. Ancient remains of their campsites have been found on the bay's shores and islands.

Islands in Penobscot Bay

• Isle au Haut
  Isle au Haut, Maine
  Isle au Haut is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States, on an island of the same name in Penobscot Bay. The population was 79 at the 2000 census. Home to portions of Acadia National Park, Isle au Haut is accessible by mailboat from Stonington.-History:Native Americans left behind shell mounds...
  
  
• Islesboro
  Islesboro, Maine
  Islesboro is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 603 at the 2000 census. It is a well-known summer colony accessible by ferry from Lincolnville Beach 3 miles to the west, or by air taxi service...
  
  
• North Haven
  North Haven, Maine
  North Haven is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States, in Penobscot Bay. The town is both a year-round island community and a prominent summer colony. The population was 381 at the 2000 census...
  
  
• Vinalhaven
• Sears Island
  Sears Island
  Sears Island, known as Wassumkeag or shining beach by the indigenous Wabanaki tribes of northern New England, is located off the coast of Searsport in Waldo County, Maine at the top of Penobscot Bay....
  
  
• Great Spruce Head
  Great Spruce Head Island, Maine
  Great Spruce Head Island is a privately owned island in Penobscot Bay, Maine. It has long belonged to the family of the painter Fairfield Porter and his brother, photographer Eliot Porter, both of whom did creative work there. For example, Eliot's book Summer Island is a visual tribute to the...
  
  
• Butter Island
• Bear Island
• Nautilus Island
  Nautilus Island, Maine
  Nautilus Island is a privately owned island in Penobscot Bay, Maine. Lying half a mile south of Castine and guarding the entrance to Castine Harbour, the island has a long, rich history...
  
  

Towns along the western side

• Rockland
  Rockland, Maine
  Rockland is a city in Knox County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,297. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city is a popular tourist destination...
  
  
• Rockport
  Rockport, Maine
  Rockport is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,209 at the 2000 census. Rockport is a popular tourist destination and art colony.-History:...
  
  
• Camden
  Camden, Maine
  Camden is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,254 at the 2000 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is a famous summer colony in the Mid-Coast region of Maine...
  
  
• Lincolnville
  Lincolnville, Maine
  Lincolnville is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,042 at the 2000 census. Lincolnville is the mainland terminal for state ferry service to Islesboro.-History:...
  
  
• Northport
  Northport, Maine
  Northport is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,331 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
  
  
• Belfast
  Belfast, Maine
  Belfast is a city in Waldo County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 6,668. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River on Penobscot Bay, Belfast is the county seat of Waldo County...
  
  
• Searsport
  Searsport, Maine
  Searsport is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,641 at the 2000 census. Searsport includes the village of North Searsport. The town is known as "the home of the famous sea captains" and the "Antique Capital of Maine." -History:...
  
   (Penobscot Marine Museum
  Penobscot Marine Museum
  The Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, Maine, United States, is Maine's oldest maritime museum and is designed to preserve and educate people regarding Maine's and Searsport's rich and unique maritime and shipbuilding history....
  
  )
• Stockton Springs
  Stockton Springs, Maine
  Stockton Springs is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,481 at the 2000 census. Stockton Springs is home to Fort Point State Park and Fort Point Light, both located on Fort Point, a peninsula on Cape Jellison.-History:...
  
  
• Verona Island
  Verona Island, Maine
  Verona Island is a town located on an island of the same name in the Penobscot River in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 544 at the 2010 census.- History :...
  
  

Towns on the eastern side

• Bucksport
• West Penobscot
• Penobscot
  Penobscot, Maine
  Penobscot is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The Bagaduce River runs through the town. The population was 1,344 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
  
  
• Castine
  Castine, Maine
  Castine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States and was once the capital of Acadia . The population was 1,343 at the 2000 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine...
  
  
• Harborside
• Little Deer Isle
  Little Deer Isle, Maine
  Little Deer Isle is an island in Penobscot Bay and just north of the town of Deer Isle of which is it is a part of the town of Deer Isle. The island is served by Maine State Route 15 via the Deer Isle Bridge. The north end of the island is called Eggemoggin and there is a small island with a...
  
  
• Deer Isle
  Deer Isle, Maine
  Deer Isle is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,876 at the 2000 census. Notable landmarks in Deer Isle are the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and the town's many art galleries.-History:...
  
   (the town)
• Stonington
  Stonington, Maine
  Stonington is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States, located on the southern portion of Deer Island. The population was 1,152 at the 2000 census. It includes the villages of Oceanville and West Stonington...
  
  

External links

• Godfrey, John E. *The Ancient Penobscot, or Panawanskek. as transcribed from The HISTORICAL MAGAZINE and Notes and Queries concerning The Antiquities, History, and Biography of America. (Third Series, Vol. I, No. II; Whole Number, Vol. XXI, No. II) February, 1872. (Morrisina, N.Y., Henry B. Dawson) pp. 85-92 (illustrated & annotated)
• "Joshua Treat, The Pioneer Settler on Penobscot River." The Bangor Historical Magazine, vol. 4, 1888-1889.
• "The Farnsworth Museum"
• "The Penobscot Marine Museum"
• "Penobscot Bay Watch [NGO web portal on Penobscot Bay management, conservation, ecology, history and advocacy."