Christopher Setterlund, In My Footsteps : machias

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Wednesday, September 6, 2023

In My Footsteps Podcast Episode 111: Finding My Great-Grandfather's Biological Family; First Favorite TV Shows; Weird Connecticut Laws; Road Trip - Machias, ME(9-6-2023)

Episode 111 sheds some light on a very important discovery that happened during the podcast's hiatus earlier in 2023. I am the resident family historian. For years I had been searching for the biological family of my great-grandfather as my Nina revealed that he had been adopted. It was a long and often fruitless search but in March a breakthrough occurred. This week I will go into detail on how I found my Grampa Romano's biological family.
An oasis in Down East Maine. This week's Road Trip takes us to a spot I found on my way to somewhere else and that became a destination for me after that. We will travel this week to the beautiful small town of Machias, Maine.
Everyone has their own picks for their favorite television shows. But do you remember your first favorites? In the days of streaming and instant gratification, it is hard to remember the times when you had to be in your living room at a certain time to see a favorite show. This week we go way Back In the Day as I reveal some of my very first favorite TV shows.
More weird laws abound in this week's Top 5. After rolling through Rhode Island and Maine it is time to see what crazy and hilarious laws are on the books in the state of Connecticut.
As always there is a brand new This Week In History and Time Capsule looking back to when Labor Day was made a national holiday.
Find more content on YouTube, support the podcast if you want, and Buy Me A Coffee!

Helpful Links from this Episode

Listen to Episode 110 here

Thursday, November 8, 2012

In My Footsteps: West Quoddy Head Lighthouse

West Quoddy Head Light was the reason I decided to do travel writing in the first place. I was always fascinated by lighthouses growing up on Cape Cod. There was Nauset Light, Chatham Light, Nobska Light, and Race Point Light among others that were familiar to me. As I got older I still retained my interest in these guides for passing ships. First I began by learning more about nearby lighthouses like Three Sisters in Eastham, Wood End and Long Point Lights in Provincetown, and Wings Neck Light in Pocasset. Then I began daydreaming about lighthouses up and down the east coast. That is when I found Jeremy D’Entremont’s New England Lighthouse website. It is there that I first saw West Quoddy Head in Lubec, Maine.

With its red and white striped façade it immediately captured my imagination. There was only one problem, from where I lived on Cape Cod it was an eight-hour drive to Lubec. I was not exactly thrilled about the idea of a 16-hour round trip drive so it was necessary to find a spot to stay overnight. That’s when I hit the jackpot. My cousin Tracey and her ex-husband Steve had owned a cottage on the water in Owl’s Head, Maine. It was nearly exactly halfway between me and Lubec. It was a rental but as luck had it nobody was there for a week in October. I was allowed to stay there for nothing, what a great deal.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I was excited for a week of traveling up and down the Maine coast. It was going to be a tremendous experience. However, the trip was totally based on getting to see West Quoddy Head Light.

The lighthouse itself was built in 1858 overlooking Quoddy Narrows and within eyesight of Campobello Island, a part of New Brunswick, Canada. Lubec is the eastern most point in the United States. It is one of the most photographed and painted lighthouses in the country. The red stripes on West Quoddy Head come from its close proximity to Canada. In Canada the red stripes are common to help the lighthouses stand out against the snow. Assateague Light, located on Assateague Island in Virginia, is the only other lighthouse with similar red stripes in the U.S. The lighthouse is now on the grounds of Quoddy Head State Park and was named to the Registry of Historic Places in 1980.

There are a few parking spots next to the lighthouse but the main parking area is located a few hundred feet away. This is the better parking area as the lighthouse sits down a slight hill and sets a magnificent scene immediately upon your arrival. When I said this was a popular spot to visit I meant it. There is only one main road, Rt. 1, leading out to Lubec once you get past Ellsworth, near Bar Harbor. I ended up behind an SUV with Texas license plates almost immediately after passing through Ellsworth. I stopped for breakfast at a McDonalds in Machias and so did the folks from Texas. When I arrived at West Quoddy Head an hour and a half later I was not surprised when the four people from Texas arrived shortly thereafter. I can’t say if they came all that way just for the lighthouse, but you never know.

I was definitely in awe and very happy to be at West Quoddy Head. I must have managed to take a photograph from every possible angle including wandering out into a nearby field. I also shot a video of my time there as I was not sure if I’d ever have a chance to be there again. I wanted to be able to cue up my memories anytime I felt like it.

There was a sort of guide there sharing some information. I found out that the lighthouse was not the eastern most point in the U.S.; the guide pointed out a few large rocks out in the water technically considered to be part of the country. Of course I shot a picture of them. I tried hard to strike a good balance between photographing every possible inch of the grounds while also simply standing and soaking in the feeling of being there. I try to do that at many places that I am truly excited to visit.

I began the walk back up the hill to my car and continued taking photos looking back. I didn’t want to leave, but knew that I had a four hour drive back to my ‘home base’ in Owl’s Head. West Quoddy Head is still tops on my list of favorite lighthouses, although there are a few I have researched that might come close. Of course none of those are within ten hours by car, so they will have to wait. I drove eight hours to see West Quoddy Head, anybody who lives closer needs to go check it out. It is a beautiful and unique piece of history. Have fun and happy traveling!

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse: Quoddy Head Road, Lubec, Maine; GPS (44.815256,-66.951007) – From Ellsworth, Maine take Rt. 1 heading east. Follow Rt. 1 approx. 75 miles into Whiting; turn right onto Rt. 189, follow it 8.8 miles, turn right onto Maple Tree Rd., after a mile turn left to stay on this road. Turn right onto S. Lubec Rd. after .6 miles, take a slight left onto Quoddy Head Rd., follow it to the end.

West Quoddy.com

New England Lighthouses - West Quoddy Head

In My Footsteps - Lubec, Maine

Lubec on Dwellable

Friday, December 31, 2010

In My Footsteps: Trip 93: Lubec, Maine

In My Footsteps

Christopher Setterlund

Trip 93: Lubec, Maine

October 5, 2010

The eastern-most town in the United States, Lubec is a very small town with some really big attractions. As small and remote as Lubec is it was actually one of my main destinations during my time in Maine. For one thing it was as close as I could get to Canada without a passport. Second it is the home of a place I had been waiting to see for quite some time as well: West Quoddy Head Lighthouse.

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse

Getting to Lubec was an adventure all its own as it sits 150 miles from Owl’s Head which is where I made my home base during my Maine trip. Granted it is not that difficult to find as the drive consists of staying on Route 1 all the way there but the towns become fewer and further between once you pass through Ellsworth. After I passed through Machias there was nearly nothing in the way of civilization but for sprinkles of homes and a few stores. It may sound boring but to me it was a beautiful and peaceful trip to an anticipated location.

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse was a place I had seen photos of but had never expected to actually stand in front of. It is called West Quoddy Head because there is in fact an East Quoddy Head Lighthouse located on Campobello Island across Lubec Channel in New Brunswick, Canada. What makes West Quoddy Head unique is its red and white stripes which make it look like a big brick barbershop pole. Built in 1857 the lighthouse sits on the grounds of Quoddy Head State Park, just east of the town of Lubec. It is a very remote area, much like the town of Lubec is as well, which is something that adds to the sort of mystique that West Quoddy Head Lighthouse has for me.

Entering Lubec

It was an unbelievable experience from the beginning as the parking area is up on a hill from the lighthouse so I had to walk down as it slowly got larger until I was able to reach out and touch the big barbershop pole. There is a monument marking it as the eastern-most lighthouse in the eastern-most town in the country. Bordered on the north by a chain link fence since it sits above a cliff there is a great view across Quoddy Narrows to Campobello Island. It was the first time I had seen anything but United States soil, despite the fact that I did not step foot on it. Not having a passport I did not wish to get into any trouble for a few photos.

For those who wish to make the trip to Lubec last, which I recommend, there is the Quoddy Head Station only a few minutes from the lighthouse. It is a restored Coast Guard Station which now serves as an amazing motel. There is room for thirty people and offers fantastic rates and views. As I was snapping photos of this spot I remember that The Beatles ‘Hey Jude’ was playing on my IPod and I found myself lost in the moment of the big finale standing in the middle of Quoddy Head Road soaking in my accomplishment of actually making it all the way to Lubec and West Quoddy Head Lighthouse. I will never forget how I felt at that point in time.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Bridge crossing into Canada

The town of Lubec has the honor of not only being the eastern-most point in the United States but also of being the smallest town I have visited thus far with just over 1,600 people. It was named for the town of Lübeck, Germany and incorporated in 1811. Being that it was as close as I was going to get to Canada I decided to push that limit by parking at one of the many boat launching spots along Lubec Channel. This one along Commercial Street had a breakwater stretching out into the channel which gave me an awesome look at Mulholland Point Lighthouse only a few hundred feet across the water on the shores of Campobello Island.

Mulholland Point Light, red and white like the Canadian flag, was built in 1884 and was used to aide in navigation until the completion of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Bridge was completed in 1962. The bridge’s navigational lights made the lighthouse obsolete and it was decommission shortly thereafter. Campobello Island is forever linked to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt who owned a summer cottage on the island although Eleanor visited it more than FDR once he became President.

Mulholland Point Lighthouse

While standing at the end of the breakwater shooting the lighthouse I was also privileged to see three seals fishing in the rapid current of Lubec Channel. Having not seen many seals in my life I was just as fascinated with watching them play and dive for fish as I was with being so close to the Canadian border. I was so close that I could see the cars being stopped on the other side of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Bridge at the border guard station.

It was fitting I thought that I had gone literally as far as I could go in the United States and was standing there with the entire country behind me. Ironically as well was the fact that this day was the warmest of all of the days I had spent in Maine despite it being so far north. Lubec may be the smallest town I have visited so far in my travels but West Quoddy Head Light helps to make it one of my favorites. Even though it is a long trip out for most people I believe that the charm of the eastern-most town in the United States makes the trip worthwhile. Have fun and happy traveling!

For more In My Footsteps items follow my Twitter Feed, view more photos at the In My Footsteps fan page on Facebook, or visit my homepage at ChristopherSetterlund.com. Thanks for reading!

For a short video featuring West Quoddy Head Light and Lubec, Maine check out my YouTube page: Lubec, Maine

Directions: West Quoddy Head Lighthouse: Take Rt. 1 up the coast toward Lubec. In Whiting when Rt. 1 is aka River Rd., turn right onto Rt. 189. Follow 10 miles, turn right at S. Lubec Rd. Take a slight left at Quoddy Head Rd., follow it to the parking lot overlooking the lighthouse.

Commercial Street Parking Area: Take Rt. 1 up the coast toward Lubec. In Whiting when Rt. 1 is aka River Rd., turn right onto Rt. 189. Follow Rt. 189 into Lubec, turn left at Eureka St., turn right onto Commercial Street. Parking area is on left where Commercial St. meets Pleasant St. Mulholland Point Light is straight across the water.

References: Quoddy Head Station