Ship Forest Eagle

The ship Forest Eagle, 1156 tons, was built in Rockland, Maine, in 1856 by Starrett & Kimball. In 1861, under the command of Capt. Thomas Pillsbury, she carried 500 Indentured Chinese laborers from Macao to Havana, Cuba, to work in the sugar fields there. Shortly after this voyage, President Lincoln forbade American ships from participating in the "coolie trade." The Forest Eagle was reported lost at sea in March of 1881. This image is from a painting owned by the Rockland Public Library.