Near Dufour Street north of Church Street, on the left when traveling north.
English:
Wabanaki Native Americans were this area's original inhabitants, hunting, gathering and traveling along these waterways. In the 1780's, the Upper St. John Valley began to be settled by French-Canadians and Acadians. By . . . — — Map (db m148193) HM
On West Main Street (U.S. 1) at Clair-Fort Kent International Bridge, on the right when traveling west on West Main Street.
(right panel) This site denotes the first mile of U. S. Route 1, designated on November 11, 1926. The first mile extends from the Fort Kent, Maine / Clair, New Brunswick international border to the Dube House - built in 1840, one of the . . . — — Map (db m137375) HM
Fort Kent has been designated a National Historic Landmark. This site possesses National significance in commemorating the history of the United States. — — Map (db m2088) HM
On West Main Street (U.S. 1) at Clair-Fort Kent International Bridge, on the right when traveling west on West Main Street.
English:
To St. John Valley residents, the river was never a dividing boundary. In 1842, distant governments finally agreed to divide the U.S. and Canada along the St. John River. Generations before, Acadians had settled the . . . — — Map (db m148168) HM
Near Market Street (Maine Route 161) just east of East Main Street (U.S. 1), on the right when traveling west.
English:
1902: The arrival of the Bangor and Aroostook in Fort Kent marked a time of rapid economic growth. Potatoes, hay, lumber, and people were able to move efficiently south. Now, this remote French-speaking Valley with . . . — — Map (db m148188) HM
On Blockhouse Road at Island Road, on the right when traveling west on Blockhouse Road.
The Aroostook War was an undeclared, bloodless “war” that occurred in 1839.
The peace treaty that ended the American Revolution in 1783 had not satisfactorily determined the boundary between New Brunswick and what is now Maine.
The . . . — — Map (db m102463) HM
On East Main Street (U.S. 1) at River Street, on the right when traveling south on East Main Street.
English:
Before bridges, railways, and paved roads, the St. John River unified communities, culture, and commerce across the entire Valley — north and south. The genealogical roots of many Valley families cross the river . . . — — Map (db m148184) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 1) 0.1 miles east of Felix Avenue, on the left when traveling east.
English: —Local storytellers continue, “it was a crime but not a sin.” Of course, since lying is a sin, “Do not get caught!” Some priests may not have believed that your grandmother taking . . . — — Map (db m148075) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 1) 0.1 miles east of Felix Avenue, on the left when traveling east.
English: Acadian settlers claimed fertile lands along the river first, raising oats, wheat, and buckwheat, then potatoes. Savvy farmers fertilized with manure and rotated crops with pastureland. By 1905 railroads make it . . . — — Map (db m148074) HM
Near Main Street (U.S. 1) just west of Church Avenue, on the left when traveling west.
1843 — 1993 Hommages aux pionniers Français qui ont eu le courage d’établir la paroisse Ste. Luce. In tribute to the French pioneers who had the courage to establish the Parish of St. Luce. Upper Frenchville, Maine Ste. Luce Parish . . . — — Map (db m148299) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 1) 0.1 miles east of Felix Avenue, on the left when traveling east.
English:
Did you know? Water towers were once a common sight along rail tracks. Frenchville’s 55,000 gallon 1910 water tower is one of the last remaining in the U.S. Coal heat kept it from freezing. When diesel engines . . . — — Map (db m148076) HM
On Fournier Siding just north of Main Street (U.S. 1), on the left when traveling north.
English: ”Making do” with creativity: French-Acadian inventiveness, ingenuity, & lapatente Here in the Valley, a person who can make or fix just about anything is called le patenteux in the local . . . — — Map (db m148296) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 1) just west of Fournier Siding, on the right when traveling west.
English: Two years of flooding, early frosts, and harsh winters forced many settlers to flee in the winter of 1797. While the remaining men were away hunting, an eight day storm descended. Tante Blanche strapped on snowshoes and . . . — — Map (db m148300) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 1) at Fournier Siding, on the right when traveling west on Main Street.
English: Hidden solid timber homes. Bricks disguise the timber structure of the house across the field, built using a practice once common here called "piece on piece" [above]. This method used square-hewn horizontal timbers . . . — — Map (db m148298) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 1) just west of Fournier Siding, on the right when traveling west.
Plaque commémorative du premier débarquement des Acadiens àu Madawaska, en juin 1785. Hommages de Leurs Descendants. 15 Août 1934.
English (Google translate): Commemorative plaque of the first landing of the Acadians in Madawaska . . . — — Map (db m148295) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 1) just west of Fournier Siding, on the right when traveling west.
English:
Genealogy, massive French & Acadian family reunions link past and future
While some Americans proudly trace their roots to the Mayflower, here Valley roots lead back to 1785 and the first 17 Acadian families. . . . — — Map (db m148199) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 1) just west of Fournier Siding, on the right when traveling west.
English:
—Acadians settling where faith, farms, and family could grow— British encourage the settlement of the Madawaska Territory. The British — having lost many American colonies in 1783 — wanted . . . — — Map (db m148194) HM
On Fournier Siding just north of Main Street (U.S. 1), on the left when traveling north.
English: Renowned carver Aurelle Collin's handmade crooked knives employ used razor blades. “You see, he had a neighbor who had a barber shop — so he would use his old razor blades to make his knives. Pretty . . . — — Map (db m148297) HM
On U.S. 1, 0.4 miles south of Perkins Road, on the left when traveling north.
You are part of Northern Maine’s Aroostook County 40-mile long scale model of the Solar System. At this scale, one mile along U.S. Route 1 equals the distance from the Earth to the Sun, known as an “astronomical unit”. The Sun is located . . . — — Map (db m58942) HM
Near Aroostook Road (Maine Route 11) 0.1 miles south of Pennington Pond Road.
The northern portion of present-day Route 11 from Sherman to Fort Kent was planned and constructed in many stages from 1826 to the 1850s.
This stretch of road includes two historical routes: the Aroostook Road, which ran 75 miles from Molunkus . . . — — Map (db m102464) HM
