Castine

A summer destination for more than 100 years, Castine is a well-preserved seaside village rich in history. Although a few different American Indian tribes inhabited the area before the 1600s, French explorer Samuel de Champlain was the first European to record its location on a map. The French established a trading post here in 1613, naming the area Pentagoet. A year later, Captain John Smith claimed the area for the British. The French regained control of the peninsula with the 1667 Breda Treaty, and Jean Vincent d'Abbadie de St. Castin obtained a land grant in the Pentagoet area, which would later have his name. Castine's strategic position on Penobscot Bay and its importance as a trading post meant there were many battles for control until 1815. The Dutch claimed the area in 1674 and 1676, and England made it a stronghold during the Revolutionary War. In the 19th century, Castine was an important port for trading ships and fishing vessels. The Civil War and the advent of train travel brought its prominence as a port to an end, but by the late 1800s, some of the nation's wealthier citizens discovered Castine as a pleasant summer retreat.