McCurdy ’ s Smokehouse - During the peak of the industry in the 1920s , more than 20 sardine canneries and nearly 30 herring smokehouses operated in Lubec . By the mid-1970s McCurdy ’ s was the last smokehouse still curing herring for markets around the country . When it closed in 1991 , McCurdy ’ s was the last herring smokehouse in the U . S . still operating . Afterwards , commercial herring smoking completely vanished in the U . S . McCurdy ’ s is one of the only remaining buildings that represent the working waterfronts of the region from this bygone era . The Historic McCurdy ’ s Smokehouse Skinning & Packing Shed Museum preserves and shares that story today . The McCurdy Smokehouse Complex was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993 due to its significance as an industrial site where a unique trade was practiced . Photo by Jerry Monkman .
Fisheries , forest products , agriculture , wild blueberries , outdoor recreation , and tourism are the heart of the region ’ s heritage . Dramatic changes have occurred on many levels over the last few hundred years . But the natural resources that helped to build the east coast and American nation remain intact and vital to the culture , environment , economy , and identity of Downeast Maine . The people of Downeast Maine continue to innovate and grow while fiercely protecting their way of life within the context and spirit of community , history , tradition , climate , land , and water .
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