Historic Walking Tour

OVERVIEW

Enjoy a leisurely walk through the historical district of Eastport, which runs along the eastern waterfront of Moose Island. The city has always revolved around the sea, although lobstering and scalloping have mostly replaced the sardine-canning industry, which once thrived along Water Street. You will pass a former canning factory and the fisherman statue that recognizes the city’s long association with the sea. It lies in the shadow of the WaCo diner, the oldest such establishment in Maine. Much of Eastport had to be rebuilt following the Great Fire of 1886, which especially destroyed the commercial wharves. From the southern end of town, you will see the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Bridge, which connects Maine to Campobello Island in Canada. It is named for America’s 32nd president, who spent summers on the island. Be sure to ask about the Old Sow, the Western Hemisphere’s largest tidal whirlpool, which lies offshore along the international boundary.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Walk along the historical waterfront, much of which the Great Fire of 1886 destroyed.
• Learn about the heyday of Eastport’s sardine industry and why lobstering replaced it.
• Gaze out over Campobello Island, where President Franklin Delano Roosevelt summered.
• See where the Old Sow, the Western Hemisphere’s largest tidal whirlpool, occurs.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.