Founded in 1891, the Columbian Packing Company became one of the largest herring canneries in the world. It employed hundreds of workers and shipped tons of canned herring to U.S. troops in both World Wars. The cannery was sold to Booth Fisheries in 1963 and closed soon afterward. Its store sold canned goods, coal, ice, and fuel, and the old store building is now home to the Lubec Historical Society. Because of concern over environmental conditions at the former cannery, the EPA designated the property a Brownfields Site in 2010. With support from the Town of Lubec and the Lubec Historical Society, the EPA awarded a $400,000 grant for site cleanup. The unstable cannery ruins and erosion of rubble and underlying fill threatened the quality of Johnson Bay, so demolition debris was crushed and used to restore the shoreline, locally sourced stone was used to protect the slope, and the historic building was moved to a new foundation so petroleum-contaminated soils beneath the old floor could be excavated.