Lubec ( ) is a town in Washington County, Maine, United States. It is the easternmost municipality in the contiguous U.S. (see extreme points of the United States) and is the country's closest continental location to Africa. The town, with a population of 1,237 at the 2020 census, is home to Quoddy Head State Park.

History

Located on a

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

overlooking an 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 Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

, Germany. Following the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, Lubec was the site of considerable smuggling trade in gypsum, although principal industries remained

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and fisheries. By 1859, there was a tannery, three

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

s and nine

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

s; by 1886, there were also two

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...

s, three boatbuilders and three sailmakers. From 1897 to 1898, the town was the site of a swindle in the sale of stock in the Electrolytic Marine Salts Company, the brainchild of Reverend Prescott Jernegan and Charles Fisher of

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Isla ...

.Klondike: Lubec's Gold from Sea Water Hoax
/ref> 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. Jernegan and Smith vanished, and the fraud was gleefully exposed by newspapers across New England. Lubec reached its population peak in the 1910s and 1920s, hovering a little above 3,300. Since then, the population has generally been in a gradual but steady decline. As of 2020, its population had fallen to 1,237. Image:General View of Lubec, ME.jpg, General view Image:Soldiers' Monument, Lubec, ME.jpg, War monument in 1908 Image:Bank Square, Lubec, ME.jpg, Bank Square Image:LUBEC, LOOKING WEST FROM CAMPOBELLO ISLAND. SMOKE IS FROM MC CURDY'S PACKING PLANT WHERE HERRING IS SMOKED - NARA - 550322.jpg, Lubec in 1973

Geography

Lubec is located in northeastern Maine, at . According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Lubec is located on a peninsula in Passamaquoddy Bay, slightly south of Eastport. The West Quoddy Head is southeast. Lubec is the easternmost town of the contiguous United States. West Quoddy Head in Lubec is the easternmost point in the contiguous United States, located at 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 A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

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 New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, Canada.

Sites of interest

* Lubec Channel Light Image:WestQuoddyHeadLight.jpg, West Quoddy Head Lighthouse File:Lubec, Maine, from Campobello 2012.jpg, Center of Lubec as seen from Campobello Island

Bay of Fundy International Marathon

The Bay of Fundy International Marathon is a

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

between Lubec and Campobello Island,

, Canada. A 10K is also organized alongside the marathon. The 10K takes place entirely within Lubec. The race begins at West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, which is the easternmost point in the United States. Runners cross the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge connecting Maine to New Brunswick and run until they reach Head Harbour Lighthouse (East Quoddy Lighthouse), at which time the runners turn around and return to Lubec. The first marathon was run in 2013. It included over 500 registered runners and was held in June. The race provided significant economic benefits to the area. The 2014 edition featured fewer runners (286 total). The organizers attributed the decrease to the "Boston effect", whereby marathon runners chose other marathons to run in order to qualify for the 2014 Boston Marathon.

Climate

Lubec has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

with mild summers and cold winters. Generally speaking, it is relatively cold for its coastline position at 44 degrees latitude, but milder in winter than nearby Machias due to moderate warming by the adjacent waters of the Atlantic. The climate is similar to that of nearby Eastport. The Weather Channel provides interpolated climate data based on nearby areas.

Demographics

As of 2000 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 (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $13,081. About 20.3% of families and 28.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 49.6% of those under age 18 and 20.6% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,359 people, 682 households, and 356 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,147 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town saw 97.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.1%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population. There were 682 households, of which 16.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.8% were non-families. Of all households 41.9% were made up of individuals, and 20.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.94 and the average family size was 2.58. The median age in the town was 54 years. 14.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.4% were from 25 to 44; 36.9% were from 45 to 64; and 28.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

Education

Lubec Consolidated School belongs to Maine School Administrative District #19. Kenneth Johnson is the Superintendent of Schools.

Notable people

* Myron Avery, lawyer, explorer * James Henry Carleton, brevet major general in the U.S. Army * Hazel Marion Eaton, daredevil, shallow diver, long distance swimmer, hoop roller, motordome thrill racer – one of the "mile a minute girls". Close friend of Beatrice Houdini * Albert Brewer Guptill, author and photographer * Sumner Pike, member of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, member of the Atomic Energy Commission * Doris Pike White, investment banker and president general of the Daughters of the American Revolution * Hopley Yeaton, ship captain, considered the "Father of the US Coast Guard"

Gallery

References

External links

Town of Lubec official website

Lubec Memorial Library

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse

Quoddy Head State Park

Visit Lubec Maine

Bay of Fundy International Marathon – held in Lubec, Maine and Campobello Island, New Brunswick
{{authority control Towns in Washington County, Maine Populated places established in 1811 Populated coastal places in Maine 1811 establishments in Massachusetts