Machias, ME

Machias is the downtown CDP at the mouth of the Machias River, inside the Washington County town that carries the same name. The Passamaquoddy name is often rendered as “bad little falls,” a nod to the falls that powered early mills. By 1770, mills were operating on the East, West, and Middle branches, and in June 1775 the Battle of Machias became the first naval battle of the American Revolution. Burnham Tavern, tied to the capture of the British schooner Margaretta, remains a National Historic Site and museum.

Today, Machias does the work of a county seat for a wide stretch of Down East. Centre Street has the civic landmarks that make the place legible: the courthouse and county offices in an 1853 Italianate building, the Paul Revere bell, town clock, and library nearby. The University of Maine at Machias sits on a 12-acre estate overlooking the river, giving the town a college presence alongside the courthouse, hospital, and local businesses. It’s a river town where old mill routes, working institutions, and the coast-facing university still meet in the same compact center.