Machias

The trim market town of Machias (pronounced Ma-chai-us) is the county seat of, and by far the biggest community in, Washington County—though it’s not very big at all. Its year-round population of 2,400 seems positively Manhattan-esque in these parts by comparison to the rest of the towns, and a University of Maine satellite campus has attracted a welcome clutch of coffee shops, galleries, and other trappings of culture. The town’s name is a native word translating approximately to “Bad Little Falls,” a tribute to the rough rapids and waterfalls formed where river and coast meet here; the town was originally settled by Native Americans, who used it as a fishing camp.

Early explorers used the same river mouth as a trade port, although true colonial settlement of the town waited until the mid–18th century. This river even became the site of the Revolutionary War’s first naval battle on June 12, 1775, when locals turned back the British gunboat the Margaretta, a story that’s told and retold for visitors at the Burnham Tavern.

Downtown Machias still has a surprising number of historic structures. The George Foster House and Andrew Gilson House on North Street both display distinctive mansards, while Court Street is packed with historic structures. Machias’s town offices are housed inside an Italianate former schoolhouse, the Clark Perry House has peaked lintels, and the granite Porter Memorial Library incorporates ballast and andirons from the Margaretta (talk about taking a war trophy). The Carrie Albee House at the corner of West and Court streets is a Victorian home dating from 1900.

Nearby Jasper Beach is very much worth a detour for the uniformly smooth stones that make it up (not all of them jasper). There’s a lot to explore at low tide, including some cliffs for clambering, and you won’t forget the sizzling sound the water makes as the waves filter through the stones. Follow Route 92 out of town and down the peninsula, then take Port Road about 4 miles until you see signs.