Quoddy Village – Eastport ME

Description

A small town built for the purposes of housing the “clerks, engineers, draftsmen, technicians, and laborers building the Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project, the world’s largest tidal dam. The site was originally the George Rice farm, on the Old Toll Bridge Road and Route 190.”   (https://penobscotmarinemuseum.org)

“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Quoddy dam project began officially on July 4, 1935. It was estimated that 5,000 workers were needed for the project, and Eastport lacked housing. A model village, named Quoddy, was built three miles from the center of Eastport. It consisted of 128 single family, two-family, and four-family houses; three large dormitories with dining rooms for single workers; a fire station; hospital; heating plant; school; large mess hall; and a large administration building that included a theatre, library, and sub post office. Quoddy housed over 1,000 workers and their families…

The Quoddy dam project was officially shut down in July 1936. From 1938 to 1943 the National Youth Administration used Quoddy Village to train 800 city youth a year in vocational trades. It was a Navy Sea Bee base named Camp Lee-Stephenson during World War II.

Although the exhibition and administration buildings are gone, many of the “temporary” houses still exist in 2013. The working model of the planned Passamaquoddy Tidal Dam is in the Border Historical Society in Eastport.”   (https://penobscotmarinemuseum.org)

Medford, New York’s Mid-Island Mail reported in 1939 that the project was “located in the buildings of the Passamaquoddy tidal power project and is for the purpose of giving the 400 young men from New England and New York state who attend, an opportunity to have practical work experience and definite related training in fields of their choice.”

Cony Park was a gift of land donated to the City of Eastport in the 1920s for a park. In the early 1930s the city had W.P.A. crews build the park, which consisted of tennis courts, a baseball diamond, swings, camping areas, and fireplaces.

The original barrack built to house the workers burnt down recently. The chimneys still remain on site.