Birch Point facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Birch Point
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Machiasport, Maine |
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| Area | 0.1 acres (0.040 ha) |
| MPS | Native American Petroglyphs and Pictographs of Maine MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 97000913 |
| Added to NRHP | December 9, 1997 |
Birch Point, also called Clark's Point, is a special piece of land that reaches out into the water in Machiasport, Maine. It sits on the west side of Machias Bay, a large bay in eastern Maine. This point is very important to the local Passamaquoddy people. For thousands of years, it has been a place where they created amazing rock art. These ancient drawings and carvings are so important that Birch Point is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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What is Birch Point?
Birch Point is a narrow strip of land, like a finger, that separates two smaller coves: Sanborn Cove to the north and Larrabee Cove to the south. It's located just a short distance south of where the Machias River flows into Machias Bay.
How the Land Was Formed
Machias Bay is a big inlet on the coast of Down East Maine. This area is the easternmost part of the United States mainland. The bay gets its water from the Machias River and flows into the Gulf of Maine. Birch Point, like other coastal areas here, was partly shaped by something called isostatic rebound. This is a process where the land slowly rises after the heavy weight of glaciers from the last Ice Age melted away.
A Look Back in Time: History of Birch Point
People have been active at Birch Point for more than 3,000 years! We know this partly because of the many rock carvings and drawings found there. These artworks are on rocks that are often covered by water when the tide comes in.
The Ancient Rock Art
The rock art at Birch Point was first officially described in 1888 by a person named Garrick Mallery. These carvings are part of a much larger collection of rock art found in southeastern Maine. Mallery counted 57 different figures. They were made by hitting the rock faces repeatedly with harder stones.
The oldest figures are thought to be those closest to the water. These are sometimes underwater now. The upper parts of the rock ledges do not have any art. This might show that Native people lost control of these higher areas in the 1700s.
Protecting the Past
Because of their great importance to history and archaeology, the rock art sites at Birch Point were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. This helps protect them. Later, in 2006, the land where the rock art is found was given to the Passamaquoddy tribe. This was done by a group called the Maine Coast Heritage Trust. In return, the tribe agreed to protect other tribal lands nearby. This helps make sure these special places are cared for.
