July 28, 2024 – Downeast Damariscotta, ME
We set off for Lake Pemaquid Camping near Damariscotta, ME, but we had a couple of objectives in Thomaston on our way. First was breakfast which, at the recommendation of a man on Main St, we got at FlipSide Coffee, just across the street from where we were already parked. It was a good recommendation and we enjoyed our selections, an egg sandwich for Sandy and a breakfast burrito for Bill.
Our second objective was to identify the origin of unique, outsized trim we’d seen on many houses in town during our visit a few days ago. Bill wondered, for instance, if it was brought by immigrants from one particular country. However, we discarded that idea after finding out that most of the town’s settlers were Scotch-Irish. Roaming the streets and taking pictures of some of the examples, Sandy asked a woman walking along a sidewalk about the style.
“Oh,” she said, “it was the work of an architect named James Overlock. He built many houses in town in the mid 1800s. There are several more on this street and I live in one of them, a central foyer example just down the block.”
Overlock apprenticed in town as a ship’s carpenter and house joiner. Eventually starting his own house building business. We suppose he applied the curved shapes and heavy construction style used in boats to the trim on his houses. It turns out that the heavy, inverted, fleur de les shape that first caught our attention was his signature and it is found somewhere on all of the houses he designed.
So, as we were wandering down the block we came upon a beautiful house with a central foyer layout that we’d admired on our earlier visit. We engaged a worker who was descending from the scaffolding along one side of the house. It turns out that Frank was the homeowner and husband of Susan, the gal we had just spoken to. They’d been working on the house for fourteen years and Frank was happy, nay, anxious to share.
We toured parts of the house and the restoration and update work was simply stellar. Frank credited a local craftsman and friend, who did much of the carpentry and painting, as well as Epifanes’ brand varnish for much of the result. Turns out Frank is also a sailor and owned and completely restored a wooden sailboat along the way. He even hauled out photos of the boat. Many doors in the house are varnished and they rival the very best brightwork we’ve seen on sailboats and we’ve seen some very fine work. Even the inside of the mahogany garage doors are varnished!
And then there was Frank’s basement/hardware store, the envy of any DIY fanatic. The stone rubble foundation had been waterproofed from both the outside and inside. And long rows of shelving held a never-ending array of screws and fasteners and other hardware that would rival that of many building supply centers. In addition there was a substantial collection of old hardware and patterns of all the materials and trim shapes that were used throughout the house. Susan returned from her meeting while we were talking and, nearly two hours after engaging Frank in conversation and one cucumber richer, we were back on our way.
Another interesting note about the houses we see here are that many are huge. Originally built as simple houses with barns to the rear, they often later were connected with a single story structure to shelter people moving back and forth to the barn. As families grew, prospered and became multi generational, a second story might be added to the connecting building. Finally they might even renovate the barn for housing as the family moved away from agriculture. The resulting houses are very long. Frank and Susan’s house was one such home.
Arriving at Lake Pemaquid Camping, really only a 40 minute drive from our previous campground, we found a wooded, 300 plus site campground on a beautiful lake. It was really bustling with activity so we settled on a site on one of the quieter loops away from much of the hustle and bustle of golf carts and kids on bikes.
Jumping on our own bikes, we pedaled through the various loops of campers, down to the campground store, snack bar and swimming pool complex and out to the beach area with its rental boats. Then it was off to the showers and, finally, a dinner of sautéed shrimp with beets and a caprice salad.
July 29, 2024 – Downeast Damariscotta, ME
First on the day’s agenda was a visit to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. Located at the far end of Pemaquid peninsula, the light was commissioned in 1827 by John Quincy Adams. The original structure was faulty and was replaced with the current one in 1835. In 1897 an additional structure and tower were added to house a bell.
The light is still in use as a navigational aid and the actual tower is still owned by the Coast Guard. The fourth order Fresnel lens was eventually replaced by electric lights, currently a small LED fixture. The installation, including the tower and keepers house, are maintained and operated as a park.
We’ve mentioned the terrible storms that ravaged much of Maine’s Downeast area last January. This lighthouse did not escape damage. In fact the brick bell house, which has stood for 127 years, was almost completely destroyed. It is currently being restored. We’ve included frames from a video of huge waves crashing onto the house at the height of the storm as well as pictures of what normal conditions look like. They are startling!
Nearby is the Colonial Pemaquid State Historical Site where two early forts defended the Pemaquid River from attack. Few traces of the earlier wooden palisade, Fort Charles, remain. The entrance tower of the later granite Fort William Henry has been reconstructed and we toured through the area. We also visited the foundations of nearby residential structures from the time of the forts.
Also near the tip of the peninsula is a rare find in Maine, a sandy beach. Pemaquid Beach Park is a cove with a really nice, long sand beach. There was a bus load of young school kids in swimming suits on the beach in spite of the cool, dreary weather. While we were in long pants and sleeves, they were playing in the water. Maine kids are tough!
On our way to Damariscotta, at the head of the river, we stopped at the Granite Hall Store gift shop. The place is a two story warren of tiny rooms just packed with both gift and practical items. We escaped without injury or new acquisitions.
Last stop of the day was Damariscotta. The town has Hannaford’s and even a McDonalds. The downtown area was crowded with visitors and lined with galleries, shops and restaurants. We were looking for lunch and settled on King Eider’s Pub. Pricey? Yes. Good? Great! Sandy’s seafood pot pie was to die for, even without the traditional crust, while Bill’s burger was a perfectly prepared monster. They even had a gluten free draft beer that Sandy was able to enjoy!
No need for a serious dinner that evening.
July 30, 2024 – Downeast Damariscotta, ME
Rainy day stuff was the order of the day. Since we can’t remember anything notable and didn’t take any pictures it must have been a day we wrote blog articles and read.
Dinner? Who can remember such drivel? It just goes to show that if we didn’t take notes, nothing important could possibly have happened!