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OGUNQUIT is a bustling beachside town that has attracted vacationers and artists for more than a century. In the language of the Abenaki Indians who first inhabited the area, the word "Ogunquit" means "coastal lagoon". In 1641, Ogunquit was settled by European colonist and eventually, its weather-beaten charm and exquisite beach brought a multitude of creative types and Ogunquit became a popular artist colony.
While notable for its abundant and elegant summer-resort architecture, Ogunquit is most famous for its 3 1/2 mile, white sand beach backed by grassy dunes. The beach serves as the town's front porch and most everyone drifts over there at least once a day when the sun is shining. For the past 100 years, this charming seaside village has evolved from a small fishing hamlet with dirt roads and shacks, to a mojor vacation resort without losing its charm or magnetism. This little "gem" on the rocky coast of Maine should not be missed. Its countless variety of fine shops, excellent restaurants and lodgings, art galleries and museums, the Playhouse and summer repertory theatres, nearby golf courses and country clubs, fishing, lobstering and sight-seeing cruises and spectacular year round views would be difficult to encounter anywhere else. Ogunquit today remains a tranquil, small village that continues to offer almost everything to almost everyone as perhaps nowhere else in the country can.
The Marginal Way -
In 1923, the magnificent Marginal Way was given as a gift to the Town of Ogunquit by Josiah Chase of York and is now a paved footpath beginning (or ending) in a corner of Oarweed Cove near the harbor, then running for 1 ¼ miles to the marvelous expanse of Ogunquit Beach. Once called "the margin" because of its patterned development along the rocky edge of the cliff, the origin and preservation of this truly precious piece of natural beauty was not the result of far-sighted conservation planning but of the dealings of a shrewd businessman and some stubborn, persuasive "locals." This delightful, exhilarating walk meanders by tangled bayberry and bittersweet bushes, gnarled shrubs of fragrant pink and white sea roses, shaded alcoves formed by wind-twisted trees jutting out onto high granite outcroppings and humbling views of the mighty Atlantic with its varying seasonal moods. Although the bends and inclines along the way are rather gentle, most walkers will choose one of the thirty memorial benches dotting the path to sit and rest, to contemplate and sometimes to paint the panorama of sea, surf and sky which daily unfolds amid noisy protests from the roiling ocean and screeching gulls. After a freak storm damaged the path in 1991, the Committee to Restore the Marginal Way and a capital fund were established to ensure its continued preservation and maintenance. Each year more than 100,000 people take this scenic path along the rugged cliff line and while Maine has several similar ocean walkways, Ogunquit's Marginal Way is undoubtedly the most unique, the most popular, the most painted and the most beloved.
Ogunquit Beach -
With the building of a bridge across the Ogunquit River in 1888, visitors began flocking to this magnificent 3.5 mile expanse of clean, powdery white sand. Ogunquit residents, soon becoming fearful that their treasured beach would become inaccessible and privately owned with the proposed development of homes and amusement parks, daringly petitioned and pleaded with the State Legislature to cede the area between the Ogunquit River and the ocean to the Town. This was eventually granted and at a cost of some $45,000, the entire area was acquired and designated a public park. As of 1938, Ogunquit's lovely beach was one of only two municipally owned beaches in the State of Maine. Because of its vast expanses, the town continues to guard, maintain and oversee its preservation and has limited entrance to the beach from just 3 locations: the Main Beach, with access from Beach Street; Footbridge Beach, reached from Ocean Street via a lovely, arched pedestrian bridge, and Ogunquit North Beach abutting Moody Beach and accessed from Bourne Avenue in Wells. It is not uncommon to find visitors and residents alike standing awestruck on this immaculate, uncluttered stretch of silky sand, preserved for future generations to marvel at such beauty.
Perkins Cove -
In the early days of settlement when fishing and shipping were the main means of livelihood, Perkins Cove or Fish Cove as it was then called, was an integral part of these growing industries. However, at that time it was open to the erratic Atlantic putting ships and land in constant danger from high seas and flood tides. The Fish Cove Association was formed and managed to buy some adjacent bits of land, cut a channel through to the Josias River which flows into the Cove and reconfigure its shape to form the sheltered, calm anchorage now enjoyed by fisherman and boating enthusiasts alike. Perhaps the best- known feature of Perkins Cove is the unique draw-footbridge which spans the entry to one of the loveliest little harbors on the Maine coast. Manual operation of the bridge is the duty of the Harbormaster but many a lobsterman or fisherman has performed the task, as well as countless visitors, especially children, who wait anxiously for a high-masted boat to necessitate its raising. Visitors to the Cove can also enjoy the myriad of art galleries, fine specialty shops and boutiques and the spate of excellent restaurants within sight and sound of the sea. Here one can begin a "trek" on the Marginal Way, hop on a colorful trolley for a leisurely tour of the Town or just relax and watch entranced as various vignettes unfold in the everyday life of this bustling port. Maine has few small harbors that show such constant activity and none more picturesque than Perkins Cove - another "gem" in the crown of Ogunquit Village.
© 2004 Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce
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