Searsport is well-known as the antiques and flea-market capital of Maine, and with good reason: the Antique Mall alone, on U.S. 1 just north of town, is home to some 60 dealers, and flea markets during the visitor season line both sides of U.S. 1.
Searsport also has a rich history of shipbuilding and seafaring. In the early to mid-1800s there were 10 shipbuilding facilities in Searsport: the population of the town was about 1,000 people more than it is today, and jobs were plentiful. By the mid-1800s Searsport was home to more than 200 sailing-ship captains.
