Penobscot Bay

Penobscot Bay opens onto the Gulf of Maine, with islands, sheltered channels, and access to the river country of the interior. For the Penobscot and other Wabanaki peoples, these waters formed part of a connected landscape of seasonal movement, fishing, hunting, and exchange. Canoe routes linked coastal resources with inland communities, while knowledge of tides and landing places made the bay a familiar working environment.

European fishing and trading brought new goods and competing colonial claims. In 1779 British forces occupied Castine and built Fort George overlooking the bay, intending to establish a strategic base and a Loyalist colony called New Ireland. An American fleet attempted to dislodge them, but the expedition failed after British reinforcements arrived. Indigenous communities continued to pursue their own interests amid these conflicts over land and waterways.