Damariscotta ME

Damariscotta, ME at a Glance

Located on the salty river with which it shares its name, Damariscotta's scenic peninsula, singular shops, art galleries and sumptuous seafood dining make it a magnetic destination. Tourists have long traveled to taste of the famed Damariscotta River Oyster, whose nacreous shells still heap the waterfront as the meal scraps of earlier millennia, some dating to when the Wawenock Indians supped on its shores 2,500 years ago. An oyster festival is still held to celebrate the delicacy each year in late September.

Connected by the Main Street Bridge to Newcastle, Damariscotta is commonly referred to as Newcastle's "Twin City." The river that divides them defines a maritime community made up of boaters, fishermen and aquaculture in the midst of a motley and vivacious Downtown.

The village is situated en route to the Damariscotta Lakes region, a constellation of water bodies and public land protected by The Damariscotta River Association and the Pemaquid Watershed Association. Organized nature walks, community gardening, and land and oyster stewardship are just a few opportunities open to citizens looking to get involved. The abutting Pemaquid region, whose colonists migrated upriver and settled in Demariscotta in 1640, also yields easy access to the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse (featured on the Maine quarter), the colonial Fort William Henry, and the tiny, tractless wild space called Monhegan Island.

Damariscotta, ME at a Glance

Damariscotta can be proud of the resources it offers its residents, among which are its exceptional public and private schools and wide-reaching public library. Its peculiar name, Skidompha, is an acronym made up of the first letters of the names of the literary club members who raised funds to found it in the 1880's. Today the library holds regular reading groups, classes, films, talks and special programs, and issues free passes to the Portland Museum of Art and the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden.

Famed for its once flourishing shipbuilding industry, Damariscotta retains its past and the natural splendor of its landscape through numerous landmarks and community-run organizations that are committed to their preservation. The meaning of the village name, which comes from the Algonquin word "Madamescontee," is "gathering place of alewives," a hat tip to the fish that travel up the river's estuary through Salt Bay and scale the fish ladder into Damariscotta Lake each spring. Harvested by fishers since the 18th Century, the Alewives are an indispensable resource both for the local ecology and economy, and a signature Alewives Festival with food, music, art and dancing is held each Memorial Day weekend with educational activities, historic slides and a documentary, with all proceeds routed to the preservation of the fish ladder and harvesting areas.

One of the highlight events of the year is the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta in October, when monstrous pumpkins are taken to town to be weighed, carved and decorated and outlandish pumpkin activities are held on Main Street throughout the week including Pumpkin Boat Building followed by a Pumpkin Boat Regatta, a Pumpkin Derby, Pumpkin Pie Eating Contest, Pumpkin Distance Hurl-off, and a Giant Pumpkin Parade.

As a true New England gem, Damariscotta has been home to famous residents including singer Kate Aldrich, songwriter Vince Clark, and cartoonist Bud Blake.