The plaque, however obliquely, commemorates the bicentennial of the
Battle of Machias. Referred to by many as the site of the
First Naval Battle of the American Revolution, it was neither. Though still referred to as the
Battle of Machias, that marine battle took place off Machiasport, some five miles south of Machias. Neither was it the "First" Naval Battle of the American Revolution, the first taking place on May 14, 1775 at Fairhaven, Massachusetts, The
Battle of Fairhaven, in which the Dartmouth whaling sloop
Success captured a pair of vessels previously captured by the British. The
Battle of Machias, fought between citizens of Machias & Machiasport and a British warship, the
Margaretta, took place on June 11-12, 1775 with the British sloop tender
Margaretta being captured by the townspeople at the cost of one man killed and six wounded, one of which later died of his wounds. Many of the protagonists in the event were, however, citizens of the town of Machias.
No mention is made of the origin of the anchor. It's unlikely that it was the anchor from one of the great many fishing sloops which sailed from Machias in days of yore as it is in much better condition than all other anchors of that era which we have come across. The plaque was placed by the Machias Rotary Club and unveiled on June 13, 1975, 200 years and one day after the conclusion of the battle.
Text from the plaque follows.
THIS ANCHOR SYMBOLIZES THE HISTORIC
TIES THAT MACHIAS PEOPLE HAVE WITH THE
SEA, AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO LIBERTY
AS EXEMPLIFIED IN THE FIRST NAVAL BATTLE
OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION FOUGHT IN
MACHIAS BAY BETWEEN THE BRITISH SHIP
MARGARETTA AND THE MACHIAS SLOOP UNITY
JUNE 12, 1775
DEDICATED JUNE 13, 1975
MACHIAS ROTARY CLUB MACHIAS BICENTENNIAL