MACHIAS — The restoration of a venerable train depot here, known as Station 98 and listed on the National Register of Historic Sites, is steaming down the track and into the heart of the community.
The Machias Bay Area Chamber of Commerce is spearheading the effort to restore a depot that is in “the most perfect location in the world,” as Chamber Executive Director Sharon Mack said. The building sits on Route 1 and is adjacent to a variety of scenic and recreational features. It’s on the Down East Sunrise Trail, an 85-mile stretch of multi-use trail converted from former rail corridor that once connected Ellsworth and Calais. It’s at the head of a Downeast Coastal Conservancy project called the Two Rivers Campaign, a thousand-acre nature preserve in the works. And it’s a stone’s throw from the Machias Bay estuary.
Given that proximity, the station is viewed as a prime spot for serving a multitude of residents, visitors, businesses and folks looking to relocate.
The plan is to turn the building into a cultural, educational and historical center, and to move the Chamber offices in.
The station was built in 1898 and abandoned in the mid-1900s. The town owns the station and the chamber has a 99-year, paid-in-full lease.
In the late 1990s, there was a major effort to get the building back into shape. With the help of a state Department of Transportation grant, a new roof
was installed and the foundation and floor were stabilized. The project faltered when the man leading the charge passed away, although the building has since been cleaned and repainted.
Mack began work at the Chamber earlier this summer.
“Our board made it clear that this is a definite priority with them,” she said. “Our hope is that, through private donations, foundations and grants, we can return it to its rightful place as a landmark and a hub in the community.”
Machias, Washington County seat, is the site of the first naval battle in the American Revolution and home to Burnham Tavern, one of 21 houses in the U.S. designated as most significant to the American Revolution. By the late 1800s, the town also became a center of the state’s timber industry, producing and shipping lumber and goods.
“Machias is right in the center of Down East Maine. This is the bold coast,” said Mack. “And we like to say that we are the place where the country begins. We see the sun first. It’s just a glorious area.”
Mack came to the chamber after a career of almost 30 years as a reporter for the Bangor Daily News. Most of that time, she covered Somerset County in central Maine and statewide agricultural issues.
She spent several more years on the job after a move to Washington County.
“Once I retired, I joined all the committees I’d been reporting on for years. And I found I had a passion for community development and public service. Rather than being a journalist and making a difference on the outside looking in, I could make a difference on the inside.”
Over the past half-year, the Chamber has instituted new programs and events, ballooned its membership, moved its office to a more visible location until it can get into the station, and reactivated the building’s restoration.
In August, the Chamber—which includes communities surrounding Machias Bay—wrapped up its 39th annual Machias Wild Blueberry Festival and was revving up for its first Harvest Fair and Wine Tasting Festival on Oct. 12. The event will feature pumpkin-chucking into the bay, arts, crafts, music and wine-tasting at the depot. The latter is designed to bring attention to the restoration project and will kick off the new phase of fundraising.
In cooperation with the Cobscook Bay and Lubec Chambers and the Jonesport Economic Council, the Machias Bay Chamber is working to bring visitors to the area through additional initiatives, including the “Five Peninsulas Project,” which will highlight the entire area as a destination for day trips and vacations.
“We’ll put together vacation packages cooperatively,” she said. “People come here to avoid the typical touristy destinations. They come here to hike, to kayak, to enjoy the incredible vistas and scenery. The ocean is unspoiled. It’s the coast still in its natural state. Everywhere you go in Washington County still has working waterfront.”
Collaboration is key to the success of this type of initiative. Washington County reportedly has the state’s highest poverty rate. So the timeline for the station’s restoration—while endorsed by the community and by the state and federal governments—is somewhat uncertain.
“Fundraising here is always a challenge. We’re really relying heavily on grants,” said Mack. “We’re not going to swallow the whole thing whole; we’re taking it piece by piece.”
Still, nearly $10,000 of the projected $90,000 needed has come in.
The station was important to the community.
“It was a key part of Washington County life,” said Mack. “In 1898, what it meant to people here, to be connected to rest of world for goods and services and transportation—I can just imagine what a celebration [its opening] would have been.”
At the moment, the peaked-roof building, with two huge freight doors, looks rather drab with the last dark-gray coat of paint that was applied. Until recently, the Chamber had only two historical, black-and-white photos to inform the restoration. Happily, a Maine Historical Preservation Commission report was discovered that determined the original façade was barn-red on top, light green on bottom, with dark green trim.
“I was so excited that we didn’t have to paint it gray,” Mack said.
The chamber is first seeking a community development grant to paint the exterior, make signs and stabilize the baggage platform. The next phase will involve interior work, including installation of handicap-accessible bathrooms, windows and a roof over the platform. The building also needs insulation and new floors.
A boxcar, probably from the mid-1900s, sits adjacent to the depot and will serve for displays.
“People are excited,” Mack said. “I think once it’s painted, that will energize it more. Energy begets energy.”
Coverage of Washington County is supported by a grant from the Eaton Foundation.