Contributed by Maine Historical Society
- Item 100645
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Description
Once a farm purchased by the William Tuttle family in 1797, the Desert of Maine in Freeport consists of 40 acres of silt deposits left in the wake of a glacier that slid through the area about 10,000 years ago.
When the Tuttle family farmed the land, a layer of topsoil fostered crop production. However, poor agricultural practices led to creeping erosion and exposed the silt, which overtook the land and rendered the soil barren. Around 1936, a sign posted in the midst of a plant reads: "Buried Alive - This Cherry Tree will soon be completely submerged."
The Tuttle family sold the property in 1919 to the entrepreneurial Henry Goldrup, who then opened the site as a tourist attraction in 1925.
About This Item
- Title: Desert of Maine, Freeport, ca. 1936
- Creation Date: circa 1936
- Subject Date: circa 1936
- Location: Desert of Maine, Freeport, Cumberland County, ME
- Media: Photographic print
- Dimensions: 7 cm x 11.5 cm
- Local Code: Coll. S-7524, Misc. Box 269/4
- Collection: Photograph album pages
- Object Type: Image
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- Desert of Maine (Freeport, Me.)--Photographs
- Deserts--Maine--Freeport
- Farms--Maine--Freeport
- Tourism--Maine
- Tuttle, John--Homes and haunts--Maine--Freeport
People
Other Keywords
- Environmental degradation
- Farming practices
- Glacial silt
- Glaciers
- Overgrazing
- Sand
- Soil erosion
- Tourism
For more information about this item, contact:
Maine Historical Society485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
Website
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