Lubec, Maine
Encyclopedia
Lubec is a town in Washington County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 1,652 at the 2000 census. Lubec is the easternmost town in the contiguous United States (see Extreme points of the United States
). However, the Aleutian Islands in Alaska extend into the eastern hemisphere, and if territories (Insular area
s) are included, Point Udall
in the U.S. Virgin Islands extends farther east.
The town is home to Quoddy Head State Park
.
overlooking an excellent ice-free harbor, the town was first settled about 1775. Originally part of Eastport
, it was set off and incorporated on June 21, 1811 and named for Lübeck, Germany
. Following the War of 1812
, Lubec was site of considerable smuggling trade in gypsum
, although principal industries remained agriculture
and fisheries. By 1859, there was a tannery
, three gristmill
s and nine sawmill
s; by 1886, there were also two shipyard
s, three boatbuilders and three sailmaker
s.
From 1897 to 1898, the town was the site of a swindle in the sale of stock in the Electolytic Marine Salts Company, the brainchild of Reverend Prescott Jernegan and Charles Fisher of Martha's Vineyard
. Jernegan claimed to have developed a method of using "accumulators" to get gold from sea water, and bought an old grist mill to turn it into a factory. The scheme attracted an abundance of investors, who were all too eager to funnel money into the company after being promised astronomical returns. In the summer of 1898, work was suspended without explanation at the factory. Jernegan and Smith vanished, and the fraud was gleefully exposed by newspapers across New England.
Jacqueline and Robert Norton, two retirees from Lubec, were passengers on the ill-fated American Airlines Flight 11
which was crashed into the World Trade Center
in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Robert Norton, 85, was the oldest person to die that day directly as a result of the attacks.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 78.9 square miles (204.4 km²), of which, 33.3 square miles (86.2 km²) of it is land and 45.6 square miles (118.1 km²) of it (57.82%) is water. Lubec is located on a peninsula in Passamaquoddy Bay
, slightly south of Eastport
. The West Quoddy Head is southeast.
West Quoddy Head in Lubec, Maine is the easternmost point in the United States, located at 44°48′54"N 66°57′1"W longitude. It is adjacent to the Quoddy Narrows, a narrow strait between Canada and the United States, one of the entrances into Passamaquoddy Bay. Since 1808, West Quoddy Head Lighthouse has been on the site to guide ships through this waterway. The present lighthouse
with its distinctive red-and-white stripes was built in 1858.
Lubec is crossed by Maine State Route 189
. The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge
connects the town to Campobello Island, New Brunswick
, Canada
.
of 2010, total population was 1,359 people, of whom 1,167 were 18 years of age or older. There were 801 households, and 455 families residing in the town. The population density
was 49.7 people per square mile (19.2/km²). There were 1,143housing units at an average density of 32.2 per square mile (12.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.94% White, 0.36% African American, 0.18% Asian, 0.06% from other races
, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population.
There were 682 occupied, 465 unoccupied, and a total of 1,147 housing units. There were 801 households out of which 15.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples
living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 37.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.4% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $20,565, and the median income for a family was $26,098. Males had a median income of $25,170 versus $19,375 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $13,081. About 20.3% of families and 28.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 49.6% of those under age 18 and 20.6% of those age 65 or over.
Washington County, Maine
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 32,856. Its county seat is Machias.Sometimes referred to as "Sunrise County" because it is the easternmost county in the United States, and it is often where the rising sun first shines on the 48...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,652 at the 2000 census. Lubec is the easternmost town in the contiguous United States (see Extreme points of the United States
Extreme points of the United States
This is a list of the extreme points of the United States, the points that are farther north, south, east, or west than any other location in the country. Also included are extreme points in elevation, extreme distances, and other points of peculiar geographic interest.-Northernmost:*Point Barrow,...
). However, the Aleutian Islands in Alaska extend into the eastern hemisphere, and if territories (Insular area
Insular area
An insular area is a United States territory, that is neither a part of one of the fifty U.S. states nor the District of Columbia, the federal district of the United States...
s) are included, Point Udall
Point Udall (U.S. Virgin Islands)
Point Udall at the east end of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands is the easternmost point in the United States including territories and insular areas. It was named for Stewart Udall, United States Secretary of the Interior under Presidents John F...
in the U.S. Virgin Islands extends farther east.
The town is home to Quoddy Head State Park
Quoddy Head State Park
Quoddy Head State Park is a park located four miles off Maine State Route 189 in Lubec, Maine on the easternmost point of land in the continental United States...
.
History
Located on a peninsulaPeninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
overlooking an excellent ice-free harbor, the town was first settled about 1775. Originally part of Eastport
Eastport, Maine
Eastport is a small city in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,640 at the 2000 census. The principal island is Moose Island, which is connected to the mainland by causeway...
, it was set off and incorporated on June 21, 1811 and named for Lübeck, Germany
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
. Following the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, Lubec was site of considerable smuggling trade in gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
, although principal industries remained agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and fisheries. By 1859, there was a tannery
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
, three gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
s and nine sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s; by 1886, there were also two shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
s, three boatbuilders and three sailmaker
Sailmaker
A sailmaker makes and repairs sails for sailboats, kites, hang gliders, wind art, architectural sails, or other structures using sails. A sailmaker typically works on shore in a sail loft. The sail loft has other sailmakers. Large ocean-going sailing ships often had sailmakers in the crew. The...
s.
From 1897 to 1898, the town was the site of a swindle in the sale of stock in the Electolytic Marine Salts Company, the brainchild of Reverend Prescott Jernegan and Charles Fisher of Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
. Jernegan claimed to have developed a method of using "accumulators" to get gold from sea water, and bought an old grist mill to turn it into a factory. The scheme attracted an abundance of investors, who were all too eager to funnel money into the company after being promised astronomical returns. In the summer of 1898, work was suspended without explanation at the factory. Jernegan and Smith vanished, and the fraud was gleefully exposed by newspapers across New England.
Jacqueline and Robert Norton, two retirees from Lubec, were passengers on the ill-fated American Airlines Flight 11
American Airlines Flight 11
American Airlines Flight 11 was American Airlines' daily scheduled morning transcontinental flight from Logan International Airport, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles International Airport, in Los Angeles, California...
which was crashed into the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Robert Norton, 85, was the oldest person to die that day directly as a result of the attacks.
Geography
Lubec is located in northeastern Maine, at 44°51′38"N 66°59′5"W.According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 78.9 square miles (204.4 km²), of which, 33.3 square miles (86.2 km²) of it is land and 45.6 square miles (118.1 km²) of it (57.82%) is water. Lubec is located on a peninsula in Passamaquoddy Bay
Passamaquoddy Bay
Passamaquoddy Bay is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy, between the U.S. state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick, at the mouth of the St. Croix River. Most of the bay lies within Canada, with its western shore bounded by Washington County, Maine. The southernmost point is formed by...
, slightly south of Eastport
Eastport, Maine
Eastport is a small city in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,640 at the 2000 census. The principal island is Moose Island, which is connected to the mainland by causeway...
. The West Quoddy Head is southeast.
West Quoddy Head in Lubec, Maine is the easternmost point in the United States, located at 44°48′54"N 66°57′1"W longitude. It is adjacent to the Quoddy Narrows, a narrow strait between Canada and the United States, one of the entrances into Passamaquoddy Bay. Since 1808, West Quoddy Head Lighthouse has been on the site to guide ships through this waterway. The present lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
with its distinctive red-and-white stripes was built in 1858.
Lubec is crossed by Maine State Route 189
Maine State Route 189
State Route 189 is a numbered state highway in Maine, running from U.S. Route 1 in Whiting in the west to the Canadian border at Lubec in the east. In Lubec the route crosses the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge when entering Campobello Island, New Brunswick...
. The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge
The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge is an international bridge, which connects Maine State Route 189 in the community of Lubec, Maine in the United States with Campobello Island in the Canadian province of New Brunswick across the Lubec Narrows. The bridge is named for former President of the...
connects the town to Campobello Island, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2010, total population was 1,359 people, of whom 1,167 were 18 years of age or older. There were 801 households, and 455 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 49.7 people per square mile (19.2/km²). There were 1,143housing units at an average density of 32.2 per square mile (12.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.94% White, 0.36% African American, 0.18% Asian, 0.06% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population.
There were 682 occupied, 465 unoccupied, and a total of 1,147 housing units. There were 801 households out of which 15.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 37.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.4% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $20,565, and the median income for a family was $26,098. Males had a median income of $25,170 versus $19,375 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $13,081. About 20.3% of families and 28.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 49.6% of those under age 18 and 20.6% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Myron AveryMyron AveryMyron Haliburton Avery was an American lawyer, hiker and explorer. Born in Lubec, Maine, Avery was a protégé of Judge Arthur Perkins and a collaborator and sometimes rival of Benton MacKaye. He was president of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club from 1927 to 1941 and chairman of the Appalachian...
, lawyer, explorer - James Henry CarletonJames Henry CarletonJames Henry Carleton was an officer in the Union army during the American Civil War. Carleton is most well known as an Indian fighter in the southwestern United States.-Biography:...
, brevet major general - Sumner PikeSumner PikeSumner T. Pike , served as acting chairman of United States Atomic Energy Commission in 1950.-Career:A 1913 Bowdoin College graduate, Pike was a member of the U.S...
, member of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, member of the Atomic Energy Commission - Hopley YeatonHopley YeatonHopley Yeaton was the first officer commissioned under the Constitution of the United States by George Washington into the Revenue Cutter Service which is the forerunner of the modern day United States Coast Guard...
, ship captain, considered the "Father of the US Coast Guard"
Further reading
- Joshua M. Smith, Borderland Smuggling: Patriots, Loyalists and Illicit Trade in the Northeast, 1783-1820 (Gainesville, University Press of Florida, 2006).