Bucksport, Blue Hill Peninsula, and Deer Isle - Stonington

The lofty Waldo-Hancock County suspension bridge that takes Coastal Routes 1 and 3 across the Penobscot River to Verona Island and Bucksport is the portal to the DownEast & Acadia Region.

This is a place with wild, undeveloped forests, long, wide, and often shallow lakes strewn with massive boulders, formed from the glaciers that ruled the last great ice age.

One of the last great ships built in the area was Admiral Perry’s famous ship the “Roosevelt”, built in 1911 on Verona Island. Rising majestically above the water across Bucksport Harbor is Fort Knox, an architectural masterpiece built from 1844 to 1846 to protect the region from yet another attack by the British. Today Fort Knox is a state park and is Maine’s most-visited historic site. Bucksport is also home to International Paper.

Bucksport visitors enjoy the mile-long Waterfront Park and Marina, and visiting Northeast Historic Film, an internationally recognized film archive. There are many eateries, fine accommodations, shops, a historic society, working harbor, and more in this waterfront town which is surrounded by 12 pristine lakes.

The land in this part of Maine is unique – filled with peat, granite ledge and forest characterized by blueberry barrens granite outcroppings, majestic spruce-covered islands, and tiny, charming coastal villages with crisp white church steeples, a general store, and a town hall.

One picturesque community, Castine, is a historic jewel settled in 1604 and boasting a spectacular harbor. Long sought after by both the English and French, this early trading post and military outpost saw many occupations. The famous “Penobscot Expedition”, America’s worst naval defeat in history happened here in 1779. Today the harbor is filled with sailing pleasure craft and the noted Maine Maritime Academy Training Ship “State of Maine”. Two forts, marvelous 18th and 19th century homes and a unique, 50 building “history walking tour” of Castine add to the charm of local inns, eateries, and marina.

The town of Blue Hill, also a historic shipping and granite quarry haven, on the Blue Hill peninsula, is another bustling, picturesque and charming community, offering boutiques, shops, restaurants, inns, and services. It is home to many fine artists and musicians. The “tidal falls” and “salt pond” are stunning natural attractions. But the town is also known for something other towns along the coast did not generally have – a copper mine. Near the end of the 19th century, copper was mined n a small scale and the ore was shipped out by sea. There was also a short lived mining boom created by talk of silver on a large scale around the same time.

The village of Blue Hill lies mainly between Blue Hill Harbor and a small mountain for which the town is named. Tree lined streets, stately homes, and handsome public buildings give the village a dressed up appearance. Amenities include a fine public library, a music lending library, and a shore-side town park. Just outside the village is the Parson Fisher House built in 1814 by Jonathan Fisher the town’s first parson. The house is open for visitors during the summer months.

Blue Hill is one of the region’s centers for music and the arts. The Bagaduce Music Lending Library draws musicians from miles around to find important pieces of music. The Kniesel Hall summer concert series is an attraction for lovers of chamber music.
Art galleries specializing in the works of local artists and in iconography contribute to the flavor of the town. Potteries using local clays produce beautiful ware.

For those who long for reminders of the past, the Blue Hill Fair is a real old-fashioned country fair with all the good things that old-timers remember and all the new things that the young find exciting. Every Labor Day weekend the fairgrounds just east of the village come alive with color and sound.

For more than a century artists have come to Deer Isle, attracted by the scenery and the modest way of life. Internationally-known Haystack Mountain School of Crafts has brought many craftspeople to the area, a number of whom have chosen to live here permanently. Writers, photographers and musicians add to the creative mix and often share their talents at public events. Art and craft galleries display work produced by some of the most accomplished artists in the country. More than a dozen antique, gift and book shops invite leisurely browsing. The island has a wide variety of lodging accommodations, including B&Bs, motels and campgrounds with full hookups. Historic inns offer gourmet dining open to the public. Restaurants serve everything from made-from-scratch pizza to "right out of the water, melt in your mouth" seafood. Of course, that includes world-famous lobster.

The harbor and offshore islands near Stonington still harbor ghostly echoes of the hammers and saws used to carve massive granite slabs from the bedrock to build the mighty edifices of commerce and government in eastern cities. Today, along with fishing and lobstering, a new "crop" of commerce has sprung up bringing numerous art galleries, shops and quiet cafes to the area.

Lobster boats still outnumber visiting yachts and sailboats. Schooners from the Penobscot Bay windjammer fleet anchored in Stonington Harbor evoke scenes from the past. Three excursion companies offer cruises around the islands surrounding Deer Isle as well as trips to Vinalhaven, North Haven and Isle au Haut.