Black Flags
Did the great Caribbean pirate Sam Bellamy build a base in Machias, or was it a case of mistaken identity?
By Colin Woodard
It is here, somewhere near where Route 1A crosses Machias' namesake river, that Maine is said to have had its most storied encounter with the pirates of the Caribbean.For a few weeks in the spring of 1717, a great pirate ship is said to have nestled between the river's forested banks, attended by several smaller pirate vessels, together carrying more than two hundred outlaws: whites, blacks, and Indians. Led by their youthful commodore, Black Sam Bellamy, the pirates had come to Maine looking for a safe hideaway to repair their vessels, rest their sea legs, and count their appreciable horde of treasure.
