Machias

The Machias area—Machiasport, East Machias, and Machias, the Washington County seat-lays claim to being the site of the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War, which took place in what is now Machiasport. Despite being outnumbered and outarmed, a small group of Machias men under the leadership of Jeremiah O'Brien captured the armed British schooner Margaretta. That battle, fought on June 12, 1775, is now known as the "Lexington of the Sea." The Margaretta Days Festival on the second weekend in June commemorates the event with a Colonial dinner, period reenactors, and a parade. The town's other claim to fame is wild blueberries. On the third weekend in August, the annual Machias Wild Blueberry Festival is a community celebration complete with parade, crafts fair, concerts, and plenty of blueberry dishes.