Perry
The town of Perry is located on
Passamaquoddy Bay, about 18 miles south of Calais. The 45th parallel of north latitude
runs through the town, making it the halfway point between the equator and the north pole.
An engraved stone, at a rest stop north of the intersection of
U.S. 1 and Rte 190, marks the 45th parallel.
45th Parallel
Marker by Pat McCabe
Over 30 miles of seacoast, rugged headlands, beaches, rocks, and many creeks give Perry
an enviable variety of attractive recreation sites.
Perry photo by Alana Preston
The first white settler was
Captain John Frost, who settled at Pleasant Point, Perry, in 1763. Captain Frost came from
Wells, Maine, to trade with the Indians. He later sold 180 acres of the land he pre-empted
to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for an Indian Reservation.
The first town meeting was held
in 1812 when a handful of sturdy pioneers met to devise ways and means to defend their
property from smugglers and others for whom there was no law. Perry was the principal
place to the west of the frontier line, and offered a depot for storing smuggled goods
from Grand Manan, affording an excellent opportunity for carrying on illicit trade across
the British river.
The town was incorporated on
February 12, 1818, and named for Commander Oliver Hazard Perry of Lake Erie fame.
In the 1800's Perry was a
thriving industrial community. At Little River were stores kept by Leland & Bugbee,
Charles S. Davis, and Ernest Kelly. A store at North Perry was run by George Hobbs.
Willard and James Hartford were carriage builders and brick manufactures.
About 1856, a mining company
from Boston was drilling a shaft near Boyden's Lake hoping to strike coal. Finally, after
going down about 500 feet, the drills caught and were left there.
In the
1800s, there were saw and lumber mills
located on nearly every brook or stream. There were four shipyards and a grist mill.
J.M.
& A.W. Leighton had a carding and cloth dressing mill, and J. Gibson had a shingle and
stave mill.
Today, the community of Perry
offers a pleasant place to live and visit. Spend some time
at the COBSCOOK
BAY COTTAGES or the KENDALL
FARM COTTAGES and soak up the area's natural
beauty. Talk to FINE ARTIST
Housepainting and Restoration about keeping your
home or cottage looking its best. They also make
furniture and cabinetry.
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