Great Diamond Island

Portland from the south end of Great Diamond Island near the ferry dock (2018)

Great Diamond, home to Fort McKinley, is just northeast of its neighbor Little Diamond Island, linked only by a sandbar at low tide. The island has a limited network of roads, used primarily by golf carts and bicycles. Access is by about a half hour ferry ride from Portland Harbor, with two landing sites. Landing site…

Lighthouse Photo Galleries

Halfway Rock Lighthouse with birds circling a lobster boat on Casco Bay (2004)

Lighthouses are specialized architectural structures.  As they dot the Maine coast, they are impressive as much for their settings as for their designs, of which there are many variations. Many are recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. To see names and locations, hover over an image with your mouse or click the image…

Goslings, The

The Goslings Aerial View (2011)

Two Islands These two small islands, in the town of Harpswell, are in Middle Bay, a major inlet off Casco Bay. A popular destination for boaters, they lie just off the southern tip of Lower Goose Island. Each has campsites with a strict carry-in carry-out policy. Maine Coast Heritage Trust is the owner and steward.…

Harpswell, North

Otter Brook Preserve Trails in North Harpswell (2018)

In Harpswell, this is the northern most village on Harpswell Neck, the others being West and South Harpswell. It centers on the intersection of Route 123 from Brunswick and the Mountain Road, which links North Harpswell to the islands via the Ewing Narrows Bridge. Near the intersection: the Merriconeag Grange, the Vegetable Corner grocery, a…

Peaks Island

An Informal Stone Art Site along Seashore Avenue on Peaks Island

The Island is a City of Portland neighborhood in Casco Bay, accessible by ferry from the terminal on Portland’s waterfront.  The brief trip carries freight, vehicles, bicycles and tourists. Little Diamond Island and Great Diamond Island are just to the west. While the population is about 900, the number of people on this 720-acre island…

Little Blue Heron

Little Blue Heron (2014)

A bird somewhat harder to find than the Great Blue Heron, the Little Blue Heron ranges from the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic Coast to their northern most reach in Maine. They feed in marshes, tidal flats and even in some freshwater areas, nesting near wetlands. This one was observed in Winslow Park…

Cundys Harbor

A Summer Day at Holbrook

Cundys Harbor is a village within the town of Harpswell, in the area known as East Harpswell. It is located in the southeastern portion of this sprawling coastal town, on Sebascodegan Island. In 1985 the Maine Historic Preservation Commission described it thus: “Cundy’s Harbor is a small fishing village on a narrow peninsula of hilly…

Glossy Ibis

This bird’s year round home is along the southeast coast of the United States and islands in the Caribbean.  But the Glossy Ibis is an occasional visitor during the summer mating season. These two, on the right, were observed at the Scarborough Marsh in 2010, along with apparent summer vacation friends in the feather of…

Eider, Common

“Best known for its soft, warm down”, the large diving sea-duck common eider, according to Audubon*, is “most easily observed because of its tendency to remain close to shore and its relative abundance, especially in northeastern North America. This cold ocean inhabitant is the largest duck in the Northern Hemisphere.” While this bird’s range is…

Gulf of Maine

Gulf of Maine Currents

The Gulf of Maine extends from Cape Cod in Massachusetts, to the coasts of New Hampshire, Maine, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, and to Cape Sable, Nova Scotia. An important part of the Gulf is Casco Bay, which supports substantial varieties of marine life, but is in the midst of the highest concentration…

Trescott

Location Map for Trescott

The township, in Washington County, has several coastal harbors, one at the village of South Trescott. During the clipper ship boom of the 1850’s, the vessel Sea Lark was launched in 1852. Served by Maine routes 189 and 191, it has substantial frontage on Cobscook Bay at its northern tip.

Total Value Fish Landings

Total Value of Commercial Fisheries Landings 1950-2007

The following indicates the total value of all landings from commercial fisheries  in Maine.  It includes shellfish as well as fin fish. Since about 1975, the rate of change in current dollars has increased, especially since 1990. YEAR TOTAL 1950 $13,781,792 1951 $14,757,348 1952 $17,034,440 1953 $16,036,300 1954 $16,187,634 1955 $15,323,204 1956 $16,397,465 1957 $16,008,084…

Stonington

The Village at the Harbor (2003)

ts name implies the great granite quarries, four of which were developed after 1870 and supplied material for many buildings in New York City and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Fishing and, increasingly, summer residences provide the mainstay of the local economy. Stonington consistently lands more lobsters than any other port in the State.

York

1787-1794 John Hancock Warehouse and Wharf in York (2018)

Most of the town’s inhabitants are located between U.S. Route 1 (inland) and U.S. Route 1A which runs along the coast. Its population has more than doubled in the past thirty years, and grew by nearly 31 percent between 1990 and 2000. Beaches and cottages characterize the coast.

Whiting

The main village is located at the easterly end of the township where the Orange River flows into Whiting Bay at the Junction of U.S. Route 1 and Maine Route 189 to Lubec. A dam creates a pond on the river in the village. See photos. Cutler Coast Public Preserved Land, in Cutler and Whiting, contains almost five miles of dramatic cliff-bound ocean shore. Water abounds in Whiting’s the northern half, with many acres of lakes and ponds.

West Bath

West and mostly south of Bath, it is bounded by the New Meadows River on the west and has several deeply indented coves on its south end. See photos. Although the town’s rural tradition is still evident in its buildings and remaining farms, much of the community is influenced by its extensive coastline, which is well protected from open ocean storms. Between Bath and Brunswick on the “by pass” limited access highway, West Bath is easy to miss but has more to offer than meets the fleeting eye.

Verona Island

is located on an island in the Penobscot River between the towns of Prospect and Bucksport. The Island is bounded by the Main and the Eastern Channels of the Penobscot. The Eastern is supplemented with the outlet of the Orland River. The old Waldo-Hancock Suspension Bridge provided the link from the Town of Prospect as U.S. Route 1 and Maine Route 3 pass through the town to Bucksport, then “Downeast” to Bar Harbor and Calais. The bridge was replaced by the new Penobscot Narrows Bridge in 2007.

Tenants Harbor

Sign: Welcome to Tenants Harbor (2005)

is a village in the Town of St. George in Knox County, incorporated on February 7, 1803 from a portion of Cushing. In 1865 it ceded some land to South Thomaston. Maine Route 131 from Thomaston runs along the eastern portion of St. George and passes through Tenants Harbor village, about halfway to the tip…