Bristol ME

Bristol, ME at a Glance

Bristol, Maine is a picturesque fishing town located between the leaping surf of Muscongus and Johns Bay on the slender Pemaquid Peninsula. The five villages of New Harbor, Round Pond, Bristol Mills, Chamberlain and Pemaquid nest within its borders.

In the early days when the region went by Pemaquid, many of Bristol's 17th Century residents made their living off the rich marine life or by trading furs with the natives. Originally inhabited by Wawenock Abenaki Indians, it was granted in the Pemaquid Patent to two Englishmen from Bristol in 1631. Hence its modern name.

Today the town retains its vibrant history at Fort William Henry and at the Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site (formerly the Pemaquid Archeological Site), two landmark attractions that preserve 17th and 18th Century buildings and artifacts including antique muskets and cannon balls. Though a palisade fort was constructed early on, Bristol underwent an embattled beginning and suffered repeated raids, sieges and wars in its youth. One notorious plunder in 1632 was carried out by the "Dread Pirate," Dixie Bill, whose reprisal for an assault by Frenchman befell the unlucky Englishmen at Pemaquid's fur trading post.

Bristol, ME at a Glance

Though dismantled in the American Revolutionary War to prevent use by the British, the famed Fort William Henry was rebuilt and acquired by the state in 1902 before its establishment as a national historic landmark in 1993. Constructed during the French and Indian War, the site is best known for the violence there inflicted by Native Americans on surrendered British troops. It formed the subject of James Fenimore Cooper's American classic, The Last of the Mohicans and is now a much-frequented museum.

An eminent Bristol attraction is the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, which in 2003 was selected by popular vote to adorn the Maine quarter. Originally commissioned by John Quincy Adams in 1827, the building materials were collected from the immediate surrounds and the salt water that was mixed into its mortar led to hasty corrosion, requiring a second contract by 1835.

Today the eye-catching rock formations that descend from the structure's base to the sea have helped to make it one of Maine's most photographed sites. It is run by the Bristol Parks and Recreation Department as part of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park, where the keeper's house, now the Fishermen's Museum, preserves lighthouse artifacts and other local maritime relics. A recently opened learning center also offers classes, movies and concerts for the community. Pemaquid Art Gallery, which exhibits work from local members of the Pemaquid Group of Artists, is located as Lighthouse Park as well.

Old Bristol Days is a favorite yearly event for Bristol residents and visitors. Community members work ardently to throw a blow-out festival each August with firework displays, a parade, concession stands and vendors, and live music at the Fort Grounds. Past highlights to remember include the Bristol Footlighters Talent Show, presentations from the Chewonki Foundation, a formidable monster truck on exhibition, and waterslide and moon bounce rentals for kids.