OCR Text |
Show WHERE MI RAGED Trask Rock Marks Historic Maine Battleground. Wat the Landing Place of American Troops and Is Named for a Drummer In the War of 1812. Portland. Me. Popular as a summer sum-mer resort, and teeming with interesting inter-esting bits of historical notes, bordering border-ing on Penobscot bay waters, 1 tho little, town of Custlue, Me. It was once surrounded by water, by reason of the trenches dug by the llrltlsh while the territory was In their hands In 1S12. but it is now part of the mainland. The wn has relics and historical bits or Interebt. forts of French, lllit- j ish and American build, and an old blockhouse, all of which interest the historian. Due of the iiiohI Interesting Interest-ing of these old sites Is "Trask rock." i once called "Hinckley's rock." It Is j situated on the western shore. It was the landing place of the Americans at the time of the Penobscot expedition, expedi-tion, when they made an attempt to secure possession of tho Island. Trask rock Is of a peculiar whiteness. white-ness. It Is large and showy, made conspicuous by a background of bowlders bowl-ders and a precipice. It Is situated about half-way between the point w here the blockhouse w as located during dur-ing the war, and the present site of the lighthouse on Dyce's Mead. This side of the Island being weakly protected pro-tected In 1812. the Americans were enabled to make a successful landing. The landing took place on the night of July 2S. The weather was damp, and a slight swell tossed the vessels as they moored along the coastline Just beyond tho reach of the Hrltlsh musketry on shore. About three o'clock in the morning preparations were made fur a landing. In the irreen of a low-hanging fog about 400 marines and mill! la landed on and near tho Trask rock. A section of the landing force was under command of Captain Hinckley, who, landing on tho Trask rock as the P.iitls'u opened fire, urged his men on up the steep bank, lie was killed In the rush by a shot fired from a force of the enemy on the rock which long bore his name. As "Hinckley rock" It was known until after years, when a Mr. Trask, who was a drummer In the American ranks, visited the town. Co Trask Rock. He had played martial nlrs all through the fight Rnd the name was changed to Trask rock In commemoration of his bravery. Trask at tho time of the war was a boy of eighteen, and long after tho war he visited the site of the rock and the battle ami told the 1 story. It Is said that more han 100 lives were lost on the American side In that fight out of about 400 engaged. In the year 1S2( the Dyce's Head lighthouse was built on the north side of the entrance to the harbor, being named after the first settler In that pnrt of the town. It was originally ; built of wood and was very shabbily ; constructed. It became so much In I need of repairs and so unsafe that in 1.",8 It was torn down and another I re built in Its place. The head was pruperly named for John Jacob Dyce, who owned It In 1775. |