Revolutionary War-Era Wreckage May Remain in Waters Off Brewer

More than 200 years later, part of the Penobscot Expedition’s story may remain beneath the Penobscot River.

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The city’s early history is tied to John Brewer, who left Massachusetts and settled in what is now Brewer, Maine.

He built a dam, sawmill, and cabin near the mouth of the Segeunkedunk Stream, helping establish a settlement that later became part of the communities of Brewer, Orrington, and Holden.

When the Revolutionary War began, John Brewer and other settlers were still building their community along the Penobscot River as British forces occupied land north of the river and built a fort at Castine.

As a militia captain and spokesman for the settlers, John Brewer reportedly provided information to American forces before the Penobscot Expedition, a 1779 Revolutionary War campaign targeting British troops at Castine as part of a larger fight for control of the Penobscot Bay region.

The mission ended in defeat when British forces intercepted and destroyed the American fleet, and some of the wreckage is believed to remain in the waters off what is now the city of Brewer.

After the American fleet was defeated and failed to take the British fort, John Brewer helped care for the wounded before leaving for Massachusetts with his family as the area became increasingly dangerous. Many settlers returned after the Revolutionary War, and the community later became part of Orrington before Brewer separated and formed its own government in 1812.

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And there you have it! If you didn’t know, now you know that it’s entirely possible that American ships destroyed during the Penobscot Expedition are still in the waters off Brewer.

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