The town was noted for its shipbuilding, which began in 1825. By 1860 Pembroke had seven shipyards, though only two survived by the late 19th century. Pembroke’s Leighton Neck extends into Cobscook Bay and is bounded by the broad expanses of the Dennys River and the Pennamaquan River. Reversing Falls State Park is nearby. Beginning in Charlotte’s Pennaquam Lake and extending through Pembroke along the Pennaquam River is the Pennaquam Wildlife Management Area.
Located on U.S. Route 1 and Penobscot Bay, the village of Lincolnville Beach is the Maine State Ferry Service mainland terminal for the ferry to Islesboro. See photos. Lincolnville Center is about seven miles inland from the beach. That village hosts another post office, a general store, a former fire house and adjoining schoolhouse, an old meetinghouse, and the Lincolnville Telephone Company.
When Maine separated from Massachusetts in 1820, the vast Maine timberlands were put on the block for speculation, which drew investors and fortune hunters. By the 1830s, Bangor was building 500 structures annually. Dow Air Force Base provided an economic and civic boost during the Cold War until closing in 1968. The creation of Bangor International Airport turned the potential liability into an asset.