It is always interesting to understand the history of a piece of property – who owned the land back in time, and how their interactions with the land shaped the property we can see today. In the case of the two parcels involved with Harpswell Heritage Land Trust’s (HHLT) Otter Brook Project, there are intersecting… Read more
Houghton Graves Park is a place of peace and memory you might have missed while traveling along Route 24 between the library and post office on beautiful Orr’s Island. It’s definitely worth a stop. The location holds memories for me because it is next to the site of the former Green Anchor gift shop, a… Read more
by Jamie Pacheco Spring has arrived here in Southern Maine and most of the snow has melted. In honor of this, Essex and I have started revisiting the slippery and steep, formerly snow-covered trails in Harpswell. On Tuesday afternoon we headed out to give Devil’s Back Trail the once over. This began as a nerve-wracking… Read more
by Jamie Pacheco It is cloudy, there is a chill in the air, and rain is impending; welcome to early spring in Maine. Would anyone like to join me for a walk? Or course not! Any sane person would be avoiding a walk in the woods (or anywhere) in this sort of weather. But let… Read more
By Jamie Pacheco Hello. My name is Jamie and my family and I are happy to be recent transplants to Harpswell. The more we see of Harpswell, the more we think we may never leave. I’ll be writing stories about my exploration of the trails and shore of Harpswell and posting them on Harpswell Heritage… Read more
Saturday morning, August 9th, dawned clear and calm. Even without checking the marine forecast I knew the day would be perfect for a boat trip to Middle Bay. Temperatures in the mid 70’s, a wisp of a breeze, and plenty of sun – it doesn’t come much better in Maine. After stocking my small boat… Read more
February 5 brought another storm to Harpswell – 12 inches of powder snow with a light wind, a good day to stay home and get started on your income tax return. But the best was to come – an uninterrupted span of seven days with brilliant blue skies! With temperatures remaining below freezing most of… Read more
October 22, 2001 was a big day in the life of Harpswell. On that date, the Federal government transferred ownership of the Navy’s “Defense Fuel Support Point” to our town. With the stroke of a pen, Harpswell was the new owner of nearly 120 acres of ocean front land with 2,630 feet of prime shoreline… Read more
Sometimes a little creativity can go a long way; in this case 1.2 miles. That is the length of the outer loop of the Devil’s Back Trail on Orr’s Island. It is likely you have driven by the trailhead many times without stopping to check out this trail. With better weather here, now is the… Read more
If you long to feel the wind in your hair, and to fill your lungs with bracing sea air without leaving dry land, I have just the place for you: Harpswell Heritage Land Trust’s Pott’s Point Preserve. To my mind’s eye, this “pocket preserve” has just about everything you could want if you love Harpswell… Read more