[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9344-9345]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             MACHIAS, MAINE

  Ms. COLLINS. Madam President. I rise today to commemorate the 250th 
anniversary of the founding of Machias, ME, a remarkable town on the 
Downeast Coast that exemplifies the determination, resiliency, and 
courage of our Nation. It was there, in 1775, just 12 years after the 
village was established, that the first naval battle of the American 
Revolution was fought and won.
  The word ``Machias'' translates from the language of the 
Passamaquoddy Indians as ``bad little falls.'' The rushing water where 
the Machias River plunges to the sea and the vast stands of virgin pine 
drew the first settlers in 1763, who built a successful sawmill and a 
thriving community.
  In early June of 1775, word reached Machias of the Battles at 
Lexington and Concord in April, the first military engagements of the 
American Revolution. When two British cargo ships, escorted by the 
warship Margaretta, arrived at Machiasport to take on a shipment of 
lumber to build barracks for British troops under siege in Boston, they 
were met by patriots eager to join the fight for freedom.
  On June 12, with the town under threat of bombardment if it did not 
cooperate with the lumber shipment, a militia of 30 men under the 
command of CPT Jeremiah O'Brien stormed the Margaretta. Armed with 
muskets, pitchforks, and axes, the militia captured the warship and 
sailed it triumphantly into harbor. The battle known as the ``Lexington 
of the Seas'' was a stunning American victory.
  Among the heroes of that battle was a young woman named Hannah 
Weston.

[[Page 9345]]

As the plans to seize the Margaretta were taking shape, this 17-year-
old wife of militiaman Josiah Weston went house to house throughout the 
sparsely settled region collecting gunpowder and shot, and lugging the 
heavy load through the wilderness to the front lines. Today, the Hannah 
Weston Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution keeps her 
memory alive.
  The Passamaquoddy gave Machias more than a name. By 1777, the town 
had become a center of revolutionary activity and the British sent an 
invasion fleet to crush the rebellion. Some 40 or 50 Passamaquoddy, led 
by Chief Joseph Neeala, joined the militia and the invaders were turned 
back.
  Just outside of Machias stands Fort O'Brien, one of just a few forts 
to have been active in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and 
the Civil War. On the road to that historic site, on the banks of a 
small stream, there is a plaque that wonderfully describes the spirit 
of this community.
  It was at that place in June of 1775, when the Margaretta's cannons 
threatened Machias, that the townspeople met in open air to choose 
between a humiliating peace and a likely hopeless war. The words on the 
plaque tell the story: ``After some hours of fruitless discussion, 
Benjamin Foster, a man of action rather than words, leaped across this 
brook and called all those to follow him who would, whatever the risk, 
stand by their countrymen and their country's cause. Almost to a man 
the assembly followed and, without further formality, the settlement 
was committed to the Revolution.''
  Today, that settlement is a thriving community. Machias is the 
shiretown of Washington County and, as the home of the University of 
Maine at Machias, it is a center for education and the arts in the 
region. Located in the heart of the blueberry industry, Machias hosts 
the Maine Wild Blueberry Festival, one of our State's great summer 
events. Beautifully restored Burnham Tavern, where the valiant 
militiamen met to plan their attack on the Margaretta, is a National 
Historic Site, so designated for its significance in America's 
independence.
  In his marvelous history of the town published in 1904, George W. 
Drisko, a descendant of one of the heroes of the Revolution wrote this: 
``The pioneers of Machias believed in destiny. They had faith in 
vitality. In their rough homes were courageous souls who believed they 
had a future.'' Those beliefs and that faith helped America achieve the 
freedom we cherish today, and all Americans congratulate the people of 
Machias on their 250th anniversary.

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