Lubec> Local town history centennial projects written by students about their communities

Editor’s Note: This is the 24th in a series of local town history centennial projects written by students about their communities in the Bangor Daily News readership area. Students were asked to compile a timeline of important events in the 20th century, to write an essay about what has set their community apart, and to choose a photograph that sums up something important about their community’s history.

Lubec Middle School grade seven

Teacher: Martin Mahar

Lubec’s history is one rich in the lore of the sea and includes shipyards, grist mills, sawmills, flour mills, lumber mills, brickyards, lead and copper mines, more than 20 smokehouses, more than 20 sardine packing plants, farms and stores, steamboats, sail-rigged clippers landing passengers from Boston and New York, sea captains directing the loading of ships with goods that would go all over the world, more than 10 schools, racks of fish drying in the sun, fishermen working from their dories, a candy-striped lighthouse, a Coast Guard life-saving station, blacksmith shops, and fine churches and picturesque hotels.

Some of the many natural and man-made scenes to greet visitors in the 1800s were spectacular, and the town could boast of having a first-rate movie theater where world-renowned magician Houdini once performed.

Not bad for a small coastal community that separated from Eastport to become its own town in 1811.

But it is the sea to which Lubec’s history is tied. The pristine, cool and nutrient-rich waters provided a rich environment for clams, scallops, herring, sea urchins and other marine life that supported coastal businesses. Boat building slowly decreased and a decline in the sardine market caused the demise of many businesses in the 1900s. Modern industrial advancements and decreased markets have brought many hardships to the hardworking and independent people of Lubec, yet their love of the sea is not diminished.

With only one sardine packing factory left operating, they turned to salmon farming. The tidal flow and cool waters of the bay made this a viable business, and many townspeople now have jobs connected to the fish farming industry.

People come to Lubec to enjoy its tranquillity, slow lifestyle and infinite beauty. As the easternmost community in the United States, rich with nature’s wonders, Lubec draws guests from worldwide. Friendly people and serenity make the town a favorite destination for travelers.

Timeline

1911 — Lubec celebrates its centennial. 1934 — Huge blizzard drops 5 1/2 feet of snow. 1935 — Start of Quoddy Dam Hydro Project. 1946 — Sumner Pike appointed to Atomic Energy Commission by President Truman. 1957 — Forest fire from Straight Bay jumps to North Lubec and threatens town. 1962 — Completion of Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial Bridge connects Lubec with Campobello Island, New Brunswick. 1965 — Lubec High School Band represents Maine in Washington, D.C., at Cherry Blossom Festival. 1973 — Lubec Regional Medical Center opens. 1977 — Additions to school bring kindergarten through grade 12 into one complex. 1986 — Start of salmon fishing. 1989 — Rash of arson fires brings economic hardship. 1997 — Aquaculture program begins with community help. 1998 — Can plant razed and marina construction starts. 1999 — The passing of Dr. Robert McBride, a leading citizen, poet, jokester, country doctor who delivered half the population of Lubec. 1999 — Creative playground built by community for area children.