Cobscook Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
Whiting
Population:
407 (2000)
Traveling
north on U.S. 1, Whiting is your entrance to the Cobscook
Bay area. From here, you can travel east to Lubec
and Campobello Island, or north to Eastport.
Originally
called Plantation #12, Whiting was incorporated in 1825.
Timothy Whiting, an early and prominent landowner and benefactor,
offered the town a donation of 400 acres of land for the
benefit of free schools upon the condition that the town
be called Whiting.
Lumbering
and ship building are occupations that make up a large
part of Whiting's history. In addition to the lumber mills,
the big business of Whiting for about 150 years years was
a grist mill with one or two carding machines located at
the former stone dam in the village.
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Blueberry
Field in Whiting |
At
the junction of U.S. Route 1 and Route 189, known as Whiting
Corner, you will find the Whiting Village School, a two-room
schoolhouse serving grades K-8, the Whiting Church (both
of which date from about 1825), and the cemetery.
Settlers
of the late 18th century penetrated the wilderness and
their activity centered around seaside villages and the
mouth of the Orange River, the present site of Whiting village.
Farm occupations became a thing of the past in the early
1900's, but neglected fields and run-down pastures began
to produce blueberries and soon became the farmers' cash
crop. The town of Whiting makes a large contribution to
Washington County's high production of wild, low bush, blueberries.
Further
west (also south) along U.S. 1, about 1 1/2 miles from the
town center, lies the Quoddy
Regional Land Trust a non-profit conservation
organization established in 1987.
QRLT
coordinates the Cobscook Trails project to expand opportunities
for nature-based recreation and tourism in eastern Washington
County, and distributes Cobscook Trails: A Guide to Walking
Opportunities Around Cobscook Bay and the Bold Coast Region.
For your copy send $10.00 to QRLT, PO Box 49, Whiting ME 04691
or phone 733-5509 for more information.