Coastal Maine, especially the rugged Downeast coast, is a hotbed for historical hullabaloo. One of the first significant naval battles in the Revolutionary War (The Battle of the Margaretta) took place in the chilly waters of the Machias River. Machias is much more historically significant than many realize. For example: did you know that there is a tunnel beneath Court Street that may have been used for transporting freed slaves? The entrance to the tunnel was located on the corner of Court Street and Broadway, not far from the former location of a black settlement in Machias called Atusville.
In recognition of Black History Month, we'll be exploring the legend of the tunnel, and providing you with links to more resources that you can use to learn about Atusville and the tunnel if you so wish. Lost Atusville: A Black Settlement from the American Revolution, a book written by Marcus LiBrizzi, provides insight into the settlement of Atusville and the speculation regarding the tunnel. In Lost Atusville, LiBrizzi shares an interview that he conducted in 2007 with a woman named Dorothy Mace who, as a young girl, was fortunate enough to have been able to venture into the tunnel. Her story, taken from page 56 of Lost Atusville, is as follows:
The tunnel was located in the basement of an old, abandoned Victorian with lots of fireplaces and windows. It had been sold to the telephone company, and they were getting ready to destroy it. So Lester Crane, who lived on Broadway and Court Street, took me, my sister Brenda, and his granddaughter Carolyn, who was my best friend—we grew up together. Lester’s daughter, Francis, also came with us. He wanted us to know that the tunnel existed.
He led us down into the basement of the house to a huge, rounded door with a cross bar. The door was wooden and very old. He opened it, and we went into the tunnel for a little way, but we didn’t go the entire length because Lester thought it might be unsafe and part of it may have fallen in. So I don’t know exactly where the exit was but it was supposed to come out somewhere on the Machias River. The sides of the tunnel were built up with blocks of stone, but it grew more rough the further we went in.
LiBrizzi also brings to light that one of the first settlers of Atusville, London Atus, was at one time working for Washington County, his occupation having to do with the construction of roads in the area of the tunnel. His jurisdiction ended precisely at that street corner where the entrance to the tunnel is said to have been.
Other theories regarding the tunnel point to the smuggling of illegal spirits, which LiBrizzi writes is entirely possible given Atusville's existing link to “bootleg liquor and runaway slaves."
If you'd like to know more about Atusville and black history in Machias, you can purchase a copy of LiBrizzi's book from Brickyard Books on Amazon for $19.75. You can also check out a page at the University of Maine at Machias' website, which gives some more detail about the history of Atusville.
Other theories regarding the tunnel point to the smuggling of illegal spirits, which LiBrizzi writes is entirely possible given Atusville's existing link to “bootleg liquor and runaway slaves."
If you'd like to know more about Atusville and black history in Machias, you can purchase a copy of LiBrizzi's book from Brickyard Books on Amazon for $19.75. You can also check out a page at the University of Maine at Machias' website, which gives some more detail about the history of Atusville.