About Boothbay Harbor

Boothbay Harbor Fun Facts

In 1789, the Continental Navy massed in Boothbay Harbor (then called Townsend) prior to commiting to the worst Americal Naval disaster prior to Pearl Harbor. 39 of 40 ships participating in the Penobscot Expedition were lost to the British.

By the late 1880s, Boothbay Harbor had a fishery and fish oil company, an ice company, two marine railways, a fertilizer manufacturer, and a factory for canning lobsters.

In 1889, Boothbay Harbor was set off from Boothbay and incorporated as the town of Boothbay Harbor after a dispute over who would pay for fire hydrants on Commercial Street.

Some location filming for the 1956 movie version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel, notably the "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" sequence, was shot here.

Each summer, 25 boat tours to coastal islands and whale watching leave every day, there are 27 art galleries, 50 restaurants and other places to eat and 69 places to lay your head. But fishing is still the biggest industry, followed by boat building.