Here in Down East Maine we have an abundance of historic sites and old houses still standing, many in original condition. The first European settlers to these parts could be said to have been the French, with Samuel de Champlain and his crew of men who came in 1604 to build their ill-fated settlement in the St. Croix River, and named Mount Desert Island the same year. There were also early settlements on Mount Desert Island by the French and English, with native settlements dating back as far as 6,000 years. Nearby Castine, which predates the Plymouth Colony by 7 years, has a rich history, with several nations duking it out - the French, Dutch and English conducting raids on each other, trying to lay claim to the area rich with natural resources at the mouth of the Penobscot River. Eastport, on the eastern end of Washington County, was actually captured and occupied by the British during the War of 1812. The stories are many, and the ghosts are abundant, with many houses over 200 years old still standing, either abandoned in ruins or kept up by the same families after all these years. Though we are in a remote area, there is no shortage of history here. There will be LOTS more to come!
Let's visit some now!
Let's visit some now!

QUODDY VILLAGE, near Eastport. This impressive building was built in the 1930s as Kittery Apartment Court, to house the workers for FDR's Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project. Afterwards it was used by the National Youth Association, and then as housing for a Navy training camp in WWII. In more recent years, it was known as Grossman's to locals, where it housed a hardware store. It is now not in public use, but is used as a private residence/project.
Update: The building burned completely in November of 2017.