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Desert of Maine

Amusement rides introduced in 1925DesertificationGeography of Cumberland County, MaineHuman impact on the environmentTourist attractions in Cumberland County, Maine
Use American English from April 2023Use mdy dates from July 2021
Desert of Maine Freeport, ME IMG 8012
Desert of Maine Freeport, ME IMG 8012

The Desert of Maine is a natural curiosity and privately owned tourist attraction whose main feature is a 40-acre (16 ha) expanse of barren glacial sand in the town of Freeport, Maine, United States. The area was de‑vegetated by poor farming practices in the 19th century.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Desert of Maine (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Desert of Maine
Kehrwiederwall, Hildesheim Neustadt (Stadtmitte/Neustadt)

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Wikipedia: Desert of MaineContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 43.8575 ° E -70.156111111111 °
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Address

Kehrwiederwall

Kehrwiederwall
31134 Hildesheim, Neustadt (Stadtmitte/Neustadt)
Niedersachsen, Deutschland
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Desert of Maine Freeport, ME IMG 8012
Desert of Maine Freeport, ME IMG 8012
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Nearby Places

Casco Castle
Casco Castle

Casco Castle was a resort in South Freeport, Maine, United States. Built in 1903, it was intended to resemble a castle. Designed by William R. Miller and overlooking Casco Bay immediately to its east, it burned down in 1914. All that now remains is its 185-foot (56 m) tall stone tower, which is now on private property, inaccessible to the public. The tower can be viewed from Harraseeket Road, a few yards closer to the shoreline, or from Winslow Memorial Park, directly to the south across the Harraseeket River. The main part of the building was to the south, with the tower on its northern side, connected by a bridge.In 1903, Amos F. Gerald, of Fairfield, Maine, built the castle as a resort, with rooms for around one hundred guests, to encourage travel by trolleycars. It was his second attempt; the first, Merrymeeting Park, in Brunswick, Maine, was a failure. The grounds featured a hotel and restaurant, a picnic area, a baseball field, and a small zoo. The hotel burned in 1914, but its stone tower was spared. It stands today on private property. A popular place from which to view the tower is nearby Winslow Memorial Park.Trolleycars of the Portland & Brunswick Street Railway, of which Gerald was general manager, brought visitors from nearby Freeport. After alighting, they crossed 70 foot (21 m) above Spark Creek on a steel suspension bridge, then climbed steep steps to the hotel's entrance.Casco Castle Park was served by the Harpswell Steamboat Company, whose steamers stopped in South Freeport en route to and from Portland and Harpswell Center.The advent of the automobile contributed to the decline of trolley and steamer travel, and the resort closed in 1914 after an eleven-year run. It reopened the same year with new owners, but a fire broke out and destroyed the hotel. The stone tower survived.A photomechanical print of Casco Castle is in the archives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.