Bath, ME Hotels, Vacations, Tourism

The small town of BATH has an exceptionally long history of shipbuilding : the first vessel to be constructed and launched here was the Virginia in 1607, by Sir George Popham's short-lived colony. Bath Iron Works , founded in 1833, attracted job-seeking Irishmen in such numbers as to provoke a mob of anti-immigrant "Know-Nothings" to burn down the local Catholic church in July 1854. The works continue to produce ships – during World War II, more destroyers were built here than in all Japan – and only admit visitors for special occasions such as ceremonial launchings. However, at the … more »