Bath, Maine: The City of Ships on the Kennebec River

On the west bank of the Kennebec River, about 35 miles northeast of Portland, sits one of Maine’s most storied small cities. Bath has built ships for more than two centuries — a heritage so deep that it is known simply as the “City of Ships.” Today that legacy lives on at Bath Iron Works and the Maine Maritime Museum, while a graceful historic downtown and the beaches of nearby Phippsburg round out the picture. Here is a closer look at Bath, Maine.

The City of Ships

Shipbuilding has defined Bath since the 1700s, and by the 19th century it was among the busiest shipbuilding ports in America, sending wooden sailing vessels down the Kennebec and out to the world. Bath was incorporated as a town in 1781 and became a city in 1847; since 1854 it has served as the seat of Sagadahoc County. It remains a compact community of roughly 8,760 residents (2020 census), but its outsized maritime story gives it a stature far beyond its size — and the tradition is still very much alive on the working waterfront.

Bath Iron Works

The heart of that living tradition is Bath Iron Works (BIW), founded in 1884 and a subsidiary of General Dynamics since 1995. One of the nation’s premier shipyards, BIW builds Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers for the U.S. Navy and is among Maine’s largest employers. Its towering red-and-white crane is a landmark visible for miles up and down the river. Do note that BIW is a secure defense facility and is not open to the public for tours — but there is an excellent way for visitors to see it, described just below.

The Maine Maritime Museum

On the riverbank just south of the shipyard, the Maine Maritime Museum tells the full story of the state’s seafaring past. Its riverside campus preserves the historic Percy & Small Shipyard — the only surviving site in the country where large wooden sailing ships were built — with five original 19th-century buildings still standing. Here, in 1909, workers launched the Wyoming, a six-masted schooner that was the largest wooden sailing vessel ever built; a full-size sculpture on the grounds marks its astonishing length. The museum also runs a seasonal trolley-and-cruise tour that carries visitors past Bath Iron Works and out onto the Kennebec for a close look at Navy destroyers — the best way to experience the working yard.

A Walk Through Historic Downtown

Bath’s prosperity in the age of sail left it a beautifully preserved downtown, protected today within National Register historic districts. Handsome 19th-century brick storefronts line the walkable center, filled with locally owned shops, restaurants, and galleries. A short stroll away stands the Chocolate Church Arts Center, an 1840s Gothic Revival former church — named for its rich brown exterior — that has hosted concerts, theater, and exhibitions since 1977. Nearby, the Patten Free Library anchors leafy Library Park, with its fountain, gazebo, and quiet green lawns beside the river.

Heritage Days and Riverfront Life

Every Fourth of July, Bath throws one of Maine’s great small-city celebrations: Bath Heritage Days, a multi-day festival of parades, live music, craft vendors, food, and fireworks over the Kennebec. The river remains the center of town life year-round, its waterfront parks offering front-row seats to the tides, the passing boats, and the shipyard cranes. The Kennebec also links Bath to the wider valley upstream — to river cities like Gardiner and, far to the north, to our own town of Winslow.

Beaches, Forts, and Popham

Bath makes a perfect gateway to the coast at the Kennebec’s mouth. Drive south through Phippsburg to reach Popham Beach State Park, one of Maine’s few long sand beaches, where the river meets the open Atlantic. At the tip of the peninsula, the granite Fort Popham — a Civil War-era fortification — guards the river entrance near the site of the Popham Colony of 1607, the first English settlement in Maine, established a full 13 years before the Pilgrims reached Plymouth. Just east, in Georgetown, Reid State Park offers more sandy shoreline, dunes, and tide pools.

Exploring the Area

Bath sits at the heart of Maine’s Midcoast, an easy base for a wider tour. To the east lie Boothbay Harbor and the classic coastal villages, while just west is Brunswick, home to Bowdoin College. Travelers following the Kennebec inland toward central Maine pass through the historic Kennebec Valley; in Winslow, the colonial-era Fort Halifax — the oldest surviving wooden blockhouse in the United States — tells another chapter of the river’s long story, from Bath’s shipyards down at the sea to the frontier outposts far upstream.

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