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Washington County, eastern Maine, U.S., bordered
to the east by New Brunswick, Can. (the
Chiputneticook Lakes, the St. Croix
River, and Passamaquoddy Bay
constituting the boundary), and to the
south by the Atlantic Ocean. It consists
of a hill-and-valley region and includes
several islands in the Atlantic. Other waterways are West
Grand, Big, Meddybemps, and Baskahegan lakes and the
Machias, Narraguagus, and Pleasant rivers. The
easternmost point in the United States is West Quoddy
Head (longitude 66°57˘ W). The county is primarily forested
with spruce and fir trees, with large stands of maple and
beech. Public lands include Moosehorn National Wildlife
Refuge; Rocky Lake; and Cobscook Bay, Quoddy Head, and
Roque Bluffs state parks. The county is home to the
Pleasant Point Indian Reservation.
St. Croix Island was the site of a temporary French
settlement in 1604 that was headed by explorer Samuel de
Champlain. In June 1775 the first naval battle of the
American Revolution occurred in Machias Bay near Fort
O'Brien (built 1775). Washington county was formed in 1827
and named for George Washington. Machias, the county
seat, is a town long associated with maritime industries.
Eastport, the easternmost city in the nation, developed as a
centre for canning sardines. Other communities are Calais,
Woodland, Lubec, and Jonesport. The economy is based on
lumber and wood products, pulp mills, and spinning mills.
Area 2,569 square miles (6,653 square km). Pop. (1990)
35,308; (1996 est.) 36,224.
Weather for the County seat of Washington County
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UNITED WE STAND
I pledge allegiance
to the flag
of the
United States
of America
and to the
Republic
for which it stands,
one Nation
under God,
indivisible,
with liberty
and justice for all.
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