one of the coldest on record ; the settlers were unprepared for its brutality . Ice floes prevented them reaching the mainland , and food . Nearly half of them died from scurvy , malnutrition , and exposure , and were buried in a small cemetery on Saint Croix Island . The Passamaquoddy returned to their summer home on Saint Croix Island that spring and saved the men ’ s lives ; they moved on to Port Royal , Nova Scotia .
The French built Fort Pentagöet in the 1630s in what is now Castine . Pentagöet was the name used by the French to describe the Penobscot River and its tributaries . The fort was part of the French attempt to maintain and extend their control over Acadia , the name given the region between the Kennebec and St . Croix Rivers . Fort Pentagöet changed hands several times , from the French to the English , from the English back to the French , and finally , after 1715 to the English , when it became part of the British Empire following the Treaty of Utrecht .
In 1779 the British Royal Navy sent a detachment of troops to Castine , intending to use the site as a base of operations against the American rebels . They British built Fort George during the War for
Unity and Margaretta - Early in the American Revolution , American merchant Ichabod Jones sailed from Boston to Machias to facilitate a trade on behalf of the British , who needed lumber , which Machias produced in abundance . The British sent the armed cutter HMS Margaretta along to ensure Jones ’ success . Jones demanded that Machias load their lumber before he would unload any British provisions for trade . As townspeople discussed whether or not to commence trade , the Margaretta was positioned within firing distance of town . The people of Machias eventually voted to trade , but Jones refused to do business with anyone who had opposed trade . Several local militias set out to capture Jones , and the first naval engagement of the American Revolution ensued as militiamen fought back British troops with pitchforks , axes , and hunting rifles . Photo courtesy of Maine Historical Society .
In Front of the Burnham Tavern – During the events leading up to the Battle of the Margaretta , the Burnham Tavern became the scene of hot debate as townspeople discussed whether or not to trade goods . As the battle ensued , the Burnham Tavern became a makeshift hospital for the wounded . Margaretta ’ s Captain died here , supposedly leaving behind a wooden chest soaked with his blood . The Burnham Tavern is now a museum and National Historic Site , one of 21 homes in the United States deemed significant to the American Revolution . Photo by RJ Heller .
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