Portland and Freeport, Maine
Maine has always conjured imagery of wilderness in my imagination. The deep woods, moose, and bears leapt to the front of my mind, with folks decked out in Fair Isle cardigans and flannel shirts.
When I finally made it to Maine, I was amazed by how much of my mental picture of Maine was true (the flannel and Fair Isle sweaters were abundant) but how much the state surprised me. My first visit to Maine immediately made it clear that I need to return: there is so much history and pristine natural beauty to explore.
The first stop in Maine was Portland, the largest city in the state. Just outside of downtown Portland, in Cape Elizabeth, you can find Fort Williams Park, which is home to the Portland Head Light. Eight soldiers guarded the Portland Head Light’s location in 1776 to warn of impending British attacks. The lighthouse construction began in 1787 and by 1790, the United States federal government was responsible for all lighthouses. The Portland Head Light was first lit on January 10, 1791. Interestingly, the management of lighthouses in the early United States has a tie to financial services: from 1790 until 1852, the United States Department of the Treasury oversaw all lighthouses! The responsibility was transferred in 1852 to the Lighthouse Board that was reorganized to the Bureau of Lighthouses in 1910. Finally, in 1939 lighthouses and "aids to navigation" fell under the United States Coast Guard. (Portland Head Light and Fort Williams Park, n.d.)
I always knew that Maine was a large state by area, but I did not realize that when the inlets are included that the coastline of Maine exceeds the coastline of California! (Medeiros, 2020) As we traveled up the coast from Portland, we had the choice to travel via I-95 or the scenic route 1 highway. Along route 1 it became clear just how Maine can boast such ample coastline. Traveling along route 1 is slower than I-95, but the picturesque Maine towns you pass through make it worthwhile.
Freeport, Maine is less than 20 miles from Portland and it is a shopper's paradise. A duck boot truck outside of the flagship L.L. Bean store in Freeport, where the privately held company is headquartered is an homage to its creation by L.L. Bean himself in 1912 (Built to Last: The Story of the Original L.L.Bean Boot, 2020)). Bradbury Mountain State Park, Eagle Island, Florida Lake, Hedgehog Mountain, Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park, and Quarry Woods are just a few of the outdoor recreation offerings available within the town of Freeport, although the ample microbreweries and farm-to-table restaurants certainly invited us to slow down and stick around town for a while.
Bibliography
Built to Last: The Story of the Original L.L.Bean Boot. (2020, November 25). Retrieved from L.L. Bean: https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/518296?nav=F3i518296-517561
Medeiros, L. (2020, September 8). US States With The Longest Coastlines. Retrieved from World Atlas: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/us-states-by-length-of-coastline.html
Portland Head Light and Fort Williams Park. (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved from Portland Head Light and Fort Williams Park: https://portlandheadlight.com/about-us
