Biddeford Pool, Maine on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Biddeford Pool is a large tidal pool, located off
Biddeford Pool is the site of Maine's first recorded permanent settlement, then called Winter Harbor (not to be confused with present-day Winter Harbor, Maine). In the winter of 1616-1617, Richard Vines, a physician, resided here as part of the colonization efforts of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, lord proprietor of Maine. An early village developed on the north side. In 1688, Fort Mary was built near the pool's entrance.
The former Fletcher's Neck Lifesaving Station, closed in 1971 and on the National Register of Historic Places, still stands at Ocean Avenue and Fourth Street.
During World War II the Biddeford Pool Military Reservation was established from 1941 to 1945, on what is now the Abenakee Golf Club. It had four circular concrete platforms called " Panama mounts" for 155 mm guns, three of which remain today. From December 1941 to 12 February 1943 it was garrisoned by Battery F of the 240th Coast Artillery of the Maine National Guard; this unit was then relieved by Battery E of the 22nd Coast Artillery, which departed in October 1943; it is unclear what unit was at the site after that time.
The small harbor hosts both vacationers and lobstermen. Its water level fluctuates from a large navigable body during high tide to mostly
City of Biddeford, Maine
McArthur Public Library
Biddeford Pool Webpage
East Point Sanctuary -- Maine Audubon Society
Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse
Biddeford Pool Yacht Club
Biddeford Historical Society
{{FmrMEMilitary Biddeford, Maine Natural pools Landforms of York County, Maine
Biddeford Pool is a large tidal pool, located off Saco Bay
Saco Bay is a small curved embayment of the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic coast of Maine in the United States. The name derives "from a map of the coastline made in 1525 by the Spanish explorer Esteban Gómez. He named the bay ''Bahio de Saco'' ...
south of the mouth of the Saco River on the south coast of Maine. It is approximately 6 miles southeast of downtown Biddeford, to which it is connected via State Route 208. The town of Kennebunkport is 3 miles southwest, connected via State Route 9.Background
Biddeford Pool is the site of Maine's first recorded permanent settlement, then called Winter Harbor (not to be confused with present-day Winter Harbor, Maine). In the winter of 1616-1617, Richard Vines, a physician, resided here as part of the colonization efforts of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, lord proprietor of Maine. An early village developed on the north side. In 1688, Fort Mary was built near the pool's entrance.
The former Fletcher's Neck Lifesaving Station, closed in 1971 and on the National Register of Historic Places, still stands at Ocean Avenue and Fourth Street.
During World War II the Biddeford Pool Military Reservation was established from 1941 to 1945, on what is now the Abenakee Golf Club. It had four circular concrete platforms called " Panama mounts" for 155 mm guns, three of which remain today. From December 1941 to 12 February 1943 it was garrisoned by Battery F of the 240th Coast Artillery of the Maine National Guard; this unit was then relieved by Battery E of the 22nd Coast Artillery, which departed in October 1943; it is unclear what unit was at the site after that time.
The small harbor hosts both vacationers and lobstermen. Its water level fluctuates from a large navigable body during high tide to mostly mudflat
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal fl ...
s during low tide. The only exception is the deep mouth, where a gut is located which is naturally dredged by tidal current. It is locally known as "The Gut." Consequently, this is the area where most boats are moored. Wood Island Light
Wood Island Light is an active lighthouse on the eastern edge of Wood Island in Saco Bay, on the southern coast of Maine. The light is just outside the entrance to Biddeford Pool and the end of the Saco River. The lighthouse is a conical white to ...
is located about a mile offshore to the northeast.
Biddeford Pool is bounded by the mainland to the south and west, by Hills Beach
Hills Beach is seaside community in Biddeford, Maine, Biddeford, York County, Maine, approximately north of Boston, Massachusetts.
Hills Beach is a narrow stretch of sandy beach on the north side of Biddeford Pool near the mouth of the Saco Ri ...
to the north, and by East Point to the east. The area is a popular summer destination for visitors from as far south as Florida and as far west as California. The pool is surrounded by tall grass salt marshes that are home to a variety of birds and other wildlife. East Point Sanctuary, maintained by the Maine Audubon Society, is considered to be one of the premier birding spots on the northeast coast. Mile Stretch Road, a sandy strip of beach which connects the neighborhood of Biddeford Pool to the mainland, is a notable tombolo.
Points of interest around Biddeford Pool include the Biddeford coastal neighborhoods of Hills Beach
Hills Beach is seaside community in Biddeford, Maine, Biddeford, York County, Maine, approximately north of Boston, Massachusetts.
Hills Beach is a narrow stretch of sandy beach on the north side of Biddeford Pool near the mouth of the Saco Ri ...
, Fortune's Rocks, and Granite Point; and the Kennebunkport coastal area of Goose Rocks.
References
External links
City of Biddeford, Maine
McArthur Public Library
Biddeford Pool Webpage
East Point Sanctuary -- Maine Audubon Society
Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse
Biddeford Pool Yacht Club
Biddeford Historical Society
{{FmrMEMilitary Biddeford, Maine Natural pools Landforms of York County, Maine