Step Back in Time in Castine
It may be a short drive down Castine peninsula, but it’ s a world apart, where you’ ll step back to the beginnings of Maine’ s history. Dating back to the 1630s, the town is the oldest permanent settlement in New England and one of the oldest communities in North America. Locals refer to the area as having been under“ Five Flags,” a nod to a centuries-long power struggle as the peninsula changed hands between the Wabanaki Confederacy of native peoples, the French, the Dutch, the British, and the Americans.
Though Castine has been firmly in American territory since the end of the War of 1812, the contentious history is still evident to visitors today. Hand-painted signs mark significant sites of Colonial and Revolutionary history, and the remnants of the original Fort Pentagöet, Fort George, and Fort Madison make for exciting discoveries.
Tours by land( with guides on foot or on touring vehicles) and by sea( onboard a retrofitted tugboat or kayaks) reveal the intricate stories of the town. And once a break is needed from a day of exploration? Historic inns, among the very first summer hotels for Victorian“ rusticators,” provide a place to rest and perhaps dream of days gone by.
4th of July, Castine
Maine Maritime Academy Homecoming
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