5 Best Sights in Machias Bay Area, Down East Coast

In this gambrel-roofed tavern home, the men of Machias laid the plans that culminated in the capture of the Margaretta, an armed British schooner, on June 12, 1775. Despite being outnumbered and out-armed, a small group under the leadership of Jeremiah O'Brien took the ship during the Revolutionary War's first naval battle; wounded British sailors were brought to the modest dwelling, where his brother-in-law Job Burnham lived. The mustard-yellow clapboard home at the end of the downtown commercial district has period furnishings and household items showing what life was like in Colonial times. There are also O'Brien family artifacts, including a photo of one of five U.S. Navy ships named for Jeremiah. On the National Register of Historic Places, the dwelling is among 21 in the country deemed most important to the Revolution. There are docent-led tours.

Sea-polished stones fascinate with glistening tones—many reddish but also heather, bluish, and creamy white—at this mesmerizing rock beach; removing stones from the beach is illegal. Banked in unusual geologic fashion, you must walk up and over a rock dune to get to the beach. When you do, you know you have arrived at a special place. Stones graduate from gravel at the shore to palm-size further back. Reddish volcanic rhyolite stones were mistaken for jasper, hence the name. Stretching a half mile across Howard Cove, bedrock at both ends deems this a pocket beach, but it's not your typical small one. A salt marsh and fresh and saltwater lagoons intrigue visitors, and there are sea caves in the bedrock (be careful if you tread that way—the rocks are slippery). Tucked between the hamlets of Bucks Harbor and Starboard, Jasper Beach has long been a place of respite for folks in these parts. There's parking (no fee).

An active fort during the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War, this site sits at the head of Machias Bay, where a naval battle was waged in 1775. Climb atop the grass-covered earthworks to take in the expansive water views. A panel display details the successive forts built here and relates the dramatic story of patriots—mostly armed with farm implements like pitchforks and axes—who captured a British tender in the bay. A stone marker honors the site as a "birthplace" of the U.S. Navy.

The 1810 home-turned-museum contains an extensive collection of old photographs, period furniture, housewares, and other memorabilia, including quilts and ship models. Operated by and headquarters for the Machiasport Historical Society, the building hugs Route 92 as it winds through the small pretty-as-a-picture village on Machias Bay. The Marine Room highlights the area’s seafaring and shipbuilding past. A model schoolroom and post office, a display about the sardine canning industry here decades ago, and a large collection of carpentry tools occupy the adjacent Cooper House, a utilitarian building constructed in 1850. Guided tours are available.

Down East’s rock- and fir-bound shores give way to the 274-acre park's half-mile crescent-shaped sand and pebble beach: one with any sand is a rarity in the region, and expansive ocean views enhance this one's beauty. Just beyond the beach you’ll find a freshwater pond that’s ideal for swimming and kayaking—rent flatwater kayaks here—and stocked for fishing. The park has changing areas (no showers), picnic area with grills, and a playground. Several miles of trails traverse woods, apple orchards, and blueberry fields. The trailhead is just before the park entrance at Roque Bluffs Community Church. There is parking (fee).