Changing hands
12,000 years ago
Over 1 / 3 of lighthouses ...
Telling time across the Atlantic
Settlement and Exploration
Changing hands
12,000 years ago
The St . Croix ’ s first settlers arrived nearly 12,000 years ago .
From the early seventeenth century to the American War for Independence , Downeast Maine was alternately occupied , colonized , settled , or raided by the French , the English , and the Dutch .
Over 1 / 3 of lighthouses ...
... in Maine are located along the Downeast coast . Lighthouses are the most technologically and architecturally significant elements in a system of navigational aids .
Telling time across the Atlantic
In 1866 , the first successful transatlantic telegraphic longitude determination occurred between the Calais Meridian and the Greenwich Meridian . This was a tremendous advance for the transfer of accurate time across the Atlantic Ocean .
American Independence , only to abandon it when the war was over . The fort is now a National Historic Site .
The American Revolution
In 1775 , 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 . The Burnham tavern became the scene of hot debate as townspeople discussed whether to commence trade .
After the Margaretta was positioned within firing distance of town , the people of Machias eventually voted to trade ; 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 . The Burnham Tavern became a makeshift hospital for the wounded . The Margaretta ’ s Captain died here , supposedly leaving behind a wooden chest soaked with his blood . The Burnham Tavern Museum in Machias is now
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