Schoodic Scenic Byway History: Lighthouses and Fishing Villages

Your visit to Schoodic Scenic Byway takes you to a time often forgotten in the nation; where lobstering and fishing still make up a major part of the economy and every cove features a busy and active harbor. Visit traditional fishing villages like Winter Harbor or take a tour of historic lighthouses as you explore the history of the Schoodic Peninsula.

Gouldsboro Library (ME) [1]

As you travel the byway, stop in at West Gouldsboro, the first settlement in the larger Gouldsboro municipality. Founded in 1764, the community features historic architecture and a past that dates back to the nation's birth. Visit the West Gouldsboro Village Library, a cottage dating back to 1907 that looks like it came straight out of a fantasy novel. Winter Harbor also features its share of historic buildings. Take a tour of the elaborate Channing Chapel and admire beach and field stone walls and detailed stained-glass portraits. Built by a Boston lumber dealer and dedicated in 1888, the building originally served as a Unitarian church.

Prospect Harbor Light (ME) [2]

Lighthouses also dot the landscape along Schoodic Scenic Byway. Many of these structures boast hundreds of years of history and provide a chance to step back and imagine early American seafaring. Photograph the Petit Manan Lighthouse, Maine's second tallest, as it stands out against the lovely New England backdrop. The tower went up in 1817 and was rebuilt in 1854. Egg Rock Lighthouse, lovingly nicknamed "Maine's Ugliest Lighthouse," dates back to 1875. The lovely Prospect Harbor Light, built in 1850 to support Prospect Harbor's vast fishing fleet, is still in use today, though its grounds are off-limits to most non-Navy personnel due to security concerns. The Winter Harbor Light was an active light for 78 years from 1856 to 1933, and afterwards may have served as an inspiration to its subsequent owners, many of whom were writers. At the time of these lighthouses' erection, full-rigged ships such as clippers and schooners (the majority of which were built in Maine) navigated the Atlantic and relied on the lighthouse keeper's vigilance for safety. The Schoodic Peninsula's lighthouses remain in operation today, relying instead on automated cycles rather than a keeper.

Schoodic Scenic Byway tells the story of rugged fishermen and lonely lighthouse keepers who played vital roles in the framing of a fledgling nation. Discover evidence of this legacy during your travels through small towns and along the rocky coastlines.