Halfway up the coast of Maine, on the northwest shore of Penobscot Bay, lies the city of Belfast. The Penobscot people once hunted its forests and speared sturgeon in the Passagassawakeag River. In 1770, envisioning a prosperous town, like-minded Scots-Irish farmers settled here. During the 19th century, hardworking men and women established Belfast as a major seaport and shipbuilding center, thanks to its abundant resources and accessible harbor. As the maritime economy faded, enterprising citizens invested in manufacturing as the city's chief employer. Belfast takes the reader back to the early settlement, through the bustling shipbuilding heyday and gritty industrial decades, up to the city's centennial celebration in 1953. Join us as we sail a tall ship, stitch boots inside the noisy shoe factory, and eat chicken barbecue on the shores of the bay.
