This engraving of the Machias area in the Boston Public Library's Atlantic Neptune collection was struck from the plate held by the Massachusetts Historical Society. By 1770, several mills were built on the Machias River, as the region was ideal for producing lumber. Conflict erupted between the residents and the British Navy in 1775, and a number of sailors lost their lives. In early August of 1777, mere days after this image was engraved, the British attacked the town of Machias, and burned the settlement in retaliation for the uprising two years earlier.