Long before interstates and Internets, tall ships made Maine famous the world over. Gracing the transoms of handsome square-riggers from Canton to Cape Town, the names of Maine seaports were as well known and respected as that of the United States itself. But Maine's Maritime enterprise was not confined to long-distance trade. From the upland forests through the long river valleys to the deeply indented, island-speckled coast, Mainers of all stripes made their living, one way or the other, from the sea.

Geography plays a crucial role in the Maritime heritage of Maine. The coast-that invisible boundary line between land and sea-is only 293 miles from Kittery to Eastport "as the crow flies". Trace the more detailed shoreline where the land and saltwater meet in countless coves, inlets and harbors, and your journey will take you some 5,000 miles. 

It's no wonder there are 63 lighthouses along the coast to guide mariners to safe harbor amid the tendrils of rock and island in the Gulf of Maine. Many are as familiar to the land-bound as to the mariners they guide, and one can almost taste the salt air in their names: Cape Neddick ("The Nubble"), Portland Head, Monhegan, Owls Head, Pemaquid Point, Seguin Island, and West Quoddy Head, where the nation first greets the sun each morning.