Historic Information | Town of Machias

Burnham Tavern Museum

Picture provided by Bill Kitchen

Built in 1770 it is the oldest building in Eastern Maine and the only one with a Revolutionary War history as it was to the ‘Tavern’ that the British wounded were brought following the First Naval Battle of the American Revolution fought on June 12, 1775. On the National Register of Historic Places it has been owned and maintained as a museum since 1910 by the Hannah Weston Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. It is one of 21 homes identified as having the most significance to the American Revolution. http://www.burnhamtavern.com/

Center Street Congregational Church

Picture provided by Bill Kitchen

Founded in 1782

The current church was built in 1836. Listed on the National register of historic Places, Centre Street features a Paul Revere bell, mechanical town clock, George Stevens tracker organ, and large Tiffany –type stained glass windows.
Center Street Congregational Church

1898 Machias Railroad Station

Picture provided by Bill Kitchen

The former Machias railroad station stands on the north side of United States Route 1, at the eastern fringe of its downtown area. Just to its north runs the multiuse Downeast Sunrise Trail, which occupies the former railroad right-of-way of the Washington County Railroad.

The Washington County Railroad was incorporated in 1894, began construction on its rail lines the following year, and ran its first train in 1899, delayed by funding issues The Machias station was built in 1898 and enlarged in 1910. In 1957 the building was converted to a freight depot, at which time the freight doors on the track side were added and interior alterations made. The Machias Bay Area Chamber of Commerce

The Machias Railroad station was donated to Sunrise Research Institute, a local historical organization, by Dead River Company of Bangor, who purchased the building as part of a parcel of land. Sunrise Research Institute provided a lease to the Machias Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, allowing the Chamber to oversee a complete restoration of that building.

According to David Rier, a member of the Chamber who was instrumental in coordinating the effort, “The Machias railroad Station is one of the few stations in Maine that remain intact and on its original site. It’s a local treasure, and we want to preserve it for future generations to enjoy and learn from.”

Porter Memorial Library

Porter Memorial Library is located at 92 Court Street in Machias, Me. The library is located near the center of Machias’s downtown area, at the junction of Court and Free Streets. The building itself is an architecturally distinguished Romanesque Revival building whose construction was funded by native son Henry Homes Porter.

http://www.porter.lib.me.us/

Machias Court House

The Washington County Courthouse is located at 85 Court Street in Machias, the county seat of Washington County, Maine. Now home to the Machias District Court and other county offices, it is an 1853 Italianate brick building designed by Benjamin S. Deane.

Machias Jail

Washington County jail is the primary correctional facility for Washington County. The jail was built in 1858 to a design by Boston architect Gridley James Fox
Bryant, and is one of the county’s architecturally significant Italianate buildings.

Machias Post Office and Custom House

The former Machias Post Office and Customhouse is a historic government building at Maine and Center Streets in Machias, Maine. Built in 1872, it is a prominent local example of Italianate architecture executed in brick. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It now houses offices of the Machias Savings Bank.