Waldoboro, ME  04572 Local History

8,500 BC  The fist Native Americans arrive at Thomas Hill. Paleo Indians and their successors, the Abenaki, summer at the mouth of the Slaigo Brook, fishing and farming the meadows created by abandoned beaver dams. - (Interesting to note that beavers continue to build dams today in the same location ! )

1736 – Samuel Waldo receives title to 10,000 acres from the King of England, and immediately creates 20 lots. A family named Little leases lot number 15, the present location of Thomas Hill Farm, and likely started clearing the land.

1760s – A tavern is built on the summit of Thomas Hill. The current farmhouse is likely built on the former site of the tavern.

Little would anyone today ever suspect that Sampson Cove in Waldoboro, Maine and the Webcam image you're looking at, was once a major East Coast shipping port  !

Origin of the Customs House *

One of the first tasks of the new Congress was to ease the tax on American vessels while increasing the tax or duty to foreign shipping so as to protect US manufacturing. 

(Today, exactly the opposite policy has been adopted (with arguably disastrous consequences) - US Manufacturer's are penalized while foreign manufacturers'  are rewarded)....   

American vessels now paid a tax of 6 cents/ton while foreign vessels were required to pay a duty of 50 cents/ton. To collect the funds, the Congress set up a system of customs districts.  Sampson Cove in Waldoboro was the site of Waldoboro's first Customs House.

When a ship - foreign or domestic - entered Maine waters heading for a port to unload its cargo or to pick up Maine cargo destined for New York, the captain would sail either to the official port of entry and register there, or if that were inconvenient often due to inclement weather or sea conditions, he could sail to a nearby harbor such as Waldoboro.....   Waldoboro as it turns out, was a popular port - due in part to its' location being well protected by the numerous islands in Muscongus Bay, as well has having been endowed with a wealth of forest products in demand by a rapidly growing new country.

The Midcoast area & Monhegan Island at the southern entrance of Muscongas Bay, was usually the first American landfall for European vessels destined for America.  So popular was this shipping lane, that the very first lighthouse commissioned in the United States was Franklin Light (still in operation today & named after Benjamin Franklin who personally commissioned it in 1805) which lies at the approach to the southern entrance of the Medomak River and 12 miles to our south. 

The first Customs House site was Sampson Cove which comprised the area of Slaigo Brook and Thomas Hill, (we are located near the top of Thomas Hill overlooking Sampson Cove and the Slaigo Brook which abuts the northern end of our property boundary) where a settlement had been started on Sampson's Cove. Here there were lumber yards, a gristmill, tannery, storehouses, homes, and a ferry service for the bay. The first Customs House was built on the "East side of Slaigo Brook and at the foot of Thomas Hill" who's  site is "guessed-imated" as being the location of where the picture of where the Slaigo Brook  was taken above and abuts our property line.  Ships regularly arrived to take away wood, hides, grain, & fish destined for Boston. (The view at the very bottom of the WebCam is where it all happened ! )
 
By 1799, the Customs House site was transferred to Waldoboro Village with its deeper water.  The new Custom's House was heavily built since the ship captains usually paid the duty in Gold Bullion !   Shipbuilding and commerce flourished in Waldoboro's customs district which extended from Bristol to Thomaston. By 1850 tonnage produced in this area exceeded all other districts excepting Bath's.

Governor Ames - 1764 Tons Launched Dec 1, 1888 Courtesy: Maine Maritime Museum
Though once a major East Coast shipping port, Waldoboro was mostly famously known as a major ship building center, with over 14 major shipyards that came and went over the years. From the late 1700's to the early 1900's, over 600 large commercial sailing vessels were constructed in town. There were undoubtedly more, however a combination of poor record keeping and lost files makes the exact count unknown. Thus the actual number of vessels built is probably significantly more.  From the records that survive however, the confirmed vessels totaled: **

300 Three Masted Schooners
120 Brigs
 61  Barks
 10  Barkentine's
 32  Sloops
 76  Fully Rigged Ships

Waldoboro was most famous, for being the first port to construct a 5 Masted Schooner - The "Governor Ames" - 1764 tons - launched December 1, 1888. Constructed by the Storer Shipyard, the vessel was 265 ft in length overall - 49.6 ft beam and fully loaded with 3000 tons of coal, would draw 20 ft of water.

Hundreds of people came from near & far to witness the Saturday morning launching, and at 8am, the huge vessel slipped gracefully down the ways into it's natural element...  

Today, the former Storer Shipyard is now Storer Lumber - still owned and operated by the family descendents.  Some of the original buildings survive to this day ! For those aware of the history, a trip to Storer Lumber to see the remaining structures, is a mini journey back in time.


 

The WebCam is aimed at where the Slaigo Brook (which abuts the back pasture here) empties into the head of Sampson Cove. The faint remnants of the old piers where ships from Europe would unload their goods destined for Boston or pick up additional cargo bound for New York, are still visible today at a low spring tide. No trace of the old gristmill, tannery Customs House or business center still remains, though the spillway for the gristmill is thought to be the foundation for the bridge where Rt 220 crosses over the Slaigo Brook.  Interesting to note that some 215 years ago, the webcam image you're viewing today, would have been filled with tall sailing vessels having arrived from Europe as well as a multitude of coastal schooners. Several ships would commonly be seen at anchor, waiting for dock space to open up...  A bustling community of warehouses, piers & a tannery would be evident at the bottom of the picture. Few folks would ever suspect that the current Webcam view was once a major East Coast  shipping port !

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Today, all that is gone.....  Sampson Cove has long since reverted back to nature....   with Osprey, gulls, Guillemots (an ocean duck), Terns, Herons and an occasional Eagle, now making it their home.

The innermost parts of the cove today, are a prime clamming flat exposed at low tide. Once the ice is out, it's never long before the "clammers" can be seen on the webcam with lobster boats traversing the cove. Most "clammers" launch their skiffs at Dutch Neck Cove on the far shore, where there are usually some lobster boats moored during the summer months.

Sampson Cove is also on the East coast migratory flyway of the Canadian Geese.  Though called Canadian Geese by many, they have now been renamed "Canada Geese" by the international community, so as to remain politically correct & not imply that Canada somehow owns them.  Although  some winter in Southern Canada, the majority migrate to the southern states or Mexico. Since Canadian winters are long & cold, most of their lives are spent outside Canada.....   I suppose it could be successfully argued they should have been called "Mexican Geese" ! (that's probably coming next...)   Anyways,  come late August, the first of many great "V" formations of "Geese" heading south become commonplace.

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References - Credits - Recommended Reading - Places to visit


* Parts of the local history were excepted from the Lincoln County News   www.mainelincolncountynews.com

** To learn more of Waldoboro's Shipbuilding days, I recommend reading "Merchant of the Medomak" - Stories from Waldoboro's Golden Years by Mark W. Biscoe.   The 8 ½x11 soft cover book totals 322 pages with 100's of photo's, maps and stories of shipbuilding life, spanning the years 1860 to 1910.  It makes for fascinating reading - even if you're not from Waldoboro !  The book is available from the Waldoboro Historical Society, Route 220 South PO Box 110, Waldoboro, ME 04572, The Waldoboro Town Offices, as well as the Maine Maritime Museum Bookstore in Bath Maine. It would be a valuable historical addition to any library.

The Waldoboro Historic Society operates the local museum, that in addition to two other buildings, also has a one room schoolhouse complete with many original documents. The museum is a wealth of period photographs, clothing fashions from the 1800's, pump organs, tools and almost anything else you could imagine !  Plan on spending several hours - there's a LOT to see !  ......   The museum is located several hundred yards on the right side of Rt 220 South - just off route 1 and a "stone's throw" from the world famous "Moody's Diner" !       -  -  -  Definitely worth a visit !

Though not related to the shipbuilding in Waldoboro, "The Tancook Schooners" by Wayne M. O'Leary, is another fascinating book on the shipbuilding that took place on Tancook Island in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. Perhaps a biased opinion, since many of the builders in Mahone Bay Nova Scotia are my relatives, but think you'll find The Tancook Schooners another fascinating book documenting the life styles & history of wooden shipbuilding in the Maritimes.

 

Waldoboro Tides

The average 10 foot tidal swings, makes clearing a fouled wheel a "piece of cake" without having to spend a dime to have it towed and hauled or having to dive over the side.
Just "run er' ashore",  prop er' up and wait !     - - - - -    Mother Natures' very own dry-dock !    
Maybe not everyone's "cup of tea",  but a great way to spend a day !

Though not in the same league as the Bay of Fundy with 50 to 60 foot tidal swings, the Midcoast and especially the northern Maine shoreline, marks in a sense the entrance to it. 10 foot tide swings are the average in these parts, but 14 foot swings are the norm around the period of a full moon.

Why does Minas Basin - Truro, Nova Scotia experience the worlds highest tides ?    (Typically 50 to 60 feet !)

Many factors working in harmony can result in high tidal swings, but the Bay of Fundy is somewhat unique. What accounts for these almost unbelievable tides seems to overshadow all other influences combined.  Yet in fact, it's dictated by the same lunar/solar influences other places worldwide also experience. What makes the Bay of Fundy unique, is  that the effects are greatly amplified by the bottom topography of the Bay of Fundy and to a lesser degree the Gulf of Maine, in achieving a harmonic tidal resonance.   So what exactly is "Harmonic Tidal Resonance" you're probably asking  ? 

First of all, think of an incoming or outgoing tide as a wave (especially since it is one !).....     Like any other periodic wave, it has a peaks and troughs and moves at a certain speed.  Generally, the speed of a wave in open water is approximated by it being the square root of G*H  G=gravitational constant & H being the depth of the water.  ( √GH).  We could quickly turn this into an excellent example of a practical use of calculus which excels at anything that changes over time (like how the tides are calculated here), but to put it simply as possible; the shallower the water, the slower will be the speed of the wave. 

Consider the Bay of Fundy gradually narrows & becomes shallower all the way from the Gulf of Maine to Truro, NS.  Because of the contours of the Bay, it would take an open ocean wave approximately 6 1/2 hours to reach Truro, and consequently, another 6 1/2 hours for it to reflect back, or a total of 13 hours. That 13 hours is defined as being the Bay's Natural Period....   It's no coincidence that it is very close to the 12 hours 25 minute cycle of the open Atlantic Ocean tide and daily lunar cycle.  So close in fact, that it sets up a harmonic tidal resonance; not unlike one pushing a child on a swing just at the right time in "harmony" or resonance with the swing's natural period...  Likewise, if open ocean tides ebb and flow in resonance with the natural period of the Bay, it will take very little solar/lunar gravitational energy to achieve & maintain some spectacular tidal swings. 

Perhaps much easier to demonstrate the principals , & best way to do that is to build an observable model to observe the same effects. Only in this case, you won't have to even build anything ! 

Scientific Simulation Test Equipment Required:

  1. Dishpan

  2. Water     (That's it !)

With only these two commonplace items, you can build and model your very own micro "Bay of Fundy" !   Within one minute, you'll fully grasp the entire concept without even knowing the difference between an integral or a derivative !

Simply fill the basin half way with water. As simple as this is, we just created and modeled a very simplistic "Tidal Basin". (Our very own micro Bay of Fundy if you will....)  Our "Micro" basin has its' own natural period...  that is: the time it normally would take for a wave to propagate from one end to the other.  (Simply make a wave with you hand and time its' period (The time for your wave to propagate from one end to the other and then reflect back). Depending on the size of your basin, It will probably be on the order of about a second.  To simulate an incoming/outgoing tide, simply tilt the basin slightly to generate a "Tidal Wave".  When tilted at too low or too high a frequency, only a small wave effect will be observed. However, start the reverse tilt just as the wave approaches max at either end, and you'll have matched your tidal basins' natural period and thus achieving a harmonic tidal resonance- just like giving your child that  slight push at the top of his or her arc on a swing set.  Your kitchen "tidal basin" operates no different than the Bay of Fundy - - just on a much smaller scale. When you "hit" close to the resonant frequency, very little tilt (tidal influence) will result in some very large waves being generated to the point of sloshing over the ends.  

The abnormal high tides in the Bay of Fundy and to a lesser degree; the Gulf of Maine, are nothing but the very same "sloshing" effect. In the case of the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy, instead of asking someone when "High Tide" is, it might be far more accurate to ask them the time of the next "High Slosh"...

What can also greatly affect the tidal swing, is the contour & depth of the water. The Gulf Coast of the US has very little in the way of tides (typically 1 to 2 feet). The entire Gulf of Mexico owing to its' shape and depth, has been effectively "baffled off" from the open Atlantic.  (The same as placing baffles in tanker trucks to keep the liquids from sloshing on cornering or braking. Without internal baffles, 25 tons of water or other liquid sloshing about could easily tip the trailer).  You can simulate the very same by placing a brick in your "tidal basin" and observe the effect.  Though there is some influence because it acts as a breakwater, if you continue to maintain your tilting at the same frequency as before, the brick has now dramatically increased the natural period by restricting the flow & decreasing the depth. You can also simply remove some water so as to reduce the depth directly and observe the slower wave propagation. Either way; the resonant frequency has now been changed.  The same exact amount of tilting at the previous resonant frequency that gave you waves sloshing over the sides before, now gives far less spectacular results.  A lot of other dynamics at play in the real world, but that's the simple gist of it !

The Midcoast area of Maine's  tidal basin has a shorter natural period and thus this areas natural period is somewhat "out of sync" with the tidal cycle, owing to its' closer proximity to the open Atlantic and Continental Shelf drop-off. (Our natural period is a bit shorter).  Though a bit out of sync here, it's  still close enough to yield 10 to 12 foot tides. 

Some locations' natural periods are so far out of sync with the tidal period, that few tides at all are observed.   Florida averages 3 feet & most ports on the Gulf Coast average just over 1 ft..

Theoretical tide in the open ocean assuming a smooth bottom is only 54cm or about 21 inches.  Interesting to note that Hawaii (effectively right in the middle of open ocean deep water) averages 2 ft tides.       - - -    What a coincidence !

Read more on Tidal influences and terminology at the following sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tides      http://www.usm.edu/gcrl/MStide/tideglos.htm

 

Time Lapse Movies - Time-lapse - Tides

For a Quick Time Movie Time Lapse view of the cove at 640x480  Click Here
File Size: approx 8.3mb - broadband connection recommended !

For a Quick Time Movie Time-lapse view of the cove at 320x240 Click Here
File Size: approx 2.4mb

(To view the movies, you will need Quick Time Player installed on your system)
Get it free, directly from Apple Computer    http://www.apple.com/quicktime/

(Click return on your browser after viewing the movies, to return to this page)

 

 

 

View

If you ever wondered where your vintage transfers are being done, the above WebCam
image is the View looking south from our "sunroom", of Sampson Cove in Waldoboro, Maine.

This side of the cove come summertime, is a prime clamming mudflat at low tide.
The small tree'd island to the far left in the background, is Havener Island Ledges
2.9 miles distant.  Directly behind Havener Ledges is Pemaquid Point Light
 17.8 miles to the south -  just hidden by the northern tip of Loud's Island
7.8 miles in the distance.

The closest opposite shore is 1.8 miles distant.
Beyond the islands  & out of view, is Muscongus Bay .

Tides in Sampson Cove typically range from 8.5 to 12 feet.

Local Climate

Since most of our weather here on the coast comes in from the south, it's always interesting
to observe the precipitation advancing up the cove !  The weather here is primarily influenced
by the ocean, and may be quite different only a few miles inland.  Thus a clear sunny summers'
day can be turned into a thick fog - sometimes within a minute, should the wind shift off the
cool ocean waters. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 95 deg, and even a slight wind
shift out of the southeast can drop temperatures as much as 15 to 20 degrees in a matter of minutes.

Winter temperatures are moderated by the warmer ocean waters.  Inland, "dead of winter" 
night time temperatures often plummet to minus 35 deg f , while here on the coast, rarely does
get  much colder than 15 below...    22 below being the coldest observed in 2004 .

Average rainfall in the Midcoast area, averages 47 inches per year with 52 inches being the norm, right along the immediate coast.

The cove freezes over solid come winter.  Normally "ice out" occurs at the very end of March.
The winter of 2005 was especially mild here on the coast, and the cove never completely froze over.

 

Spring 

Come the first of April, the ice is usually out, and with feeding access to the shoreline, the Gulls and other
shoreline feeders slowly start making their re-appearance in the cove.  Being so far north, forsythia and many other deciduous
plants, don't bloom until mid May.

The first hummingbirds normally appear May 11th each year.
So far the date has always been within one day of the 11th. 
Right on cue, May 11, 2006, May 10, 2007, May 12, 2009 marked
the feeder's first guest....  (How do they know ???)   - unfortunately, I forgot to record their arrival for 2008

First Peepers in the Farm Pond were heard:  April 11th 2008, April 9th, 2009.  The rule of thumb seems to be 1 week after ice out in the pond.

Mud Season in Maine is a local phenomenon that has to be experienced to be fully appreciated  !

Summer

It doesn't really start to feel like summer until about the 2nd week in June. Cool sea breezes off the still cold waters of Muscongus Bay
hold temperatures below what can be found only several more miles inland.

Summer is short, but sweet !   By most peoples' standards, we only have what many would consider only 2 months of real summer.

Rarely however, do temperatures exceed 95 deg.

Fall

Come the 2nd week in August however, one starts to sense the changing season.  Days are still quite warm and "summer like", but
evenings start to border on a bit chilly.  The first frost normally occurs around the 3rd week in September.  Not much in the way of spectacular foliage in this area, but what there is of it, normally
peaks about the 2nd week in October. By mid November, most of the leaves are down, lawns have stopped growing, and pastures
take on a "tawny - straw" color.  The only color that remains are some exceptionally hardy Maine Dandelions that will continue to bloom all winter long.....
 ....  even under the snow and ice !

Standing outside water is usually found frozen the next morning by the start of November.  First accumulating snow usually arrives right around Thanksgiving.

Winter

Very little in the way of wildlife in the cove during the winter.  The gulls (both Herring and Great Black Wing) as
well as Guillemots, Common Golden Eye & Bufflehead require easy access to their prime food source (urchins and mussels). Since the cove freezes solid
during the months of early January to late March, few Gulls or other wildlife are present in the cove.  Most winter
out closer to unfrozen waters such as Port Clyde or the open ocean.

Snow amounts in the local area, can vary widely from year to year.  Generally, 70 to 80 inches annually is the
norm here on the Midcoast. But so much depends on the storm track and direction of the wind... A good
Nor'easter will pull in moisture from the Gulf of Maine and dump it in copious amounts !  A slight wind shift to the
South or Southeast, and it will more likely be rain.


January is normally the coldest month, with daily highs averaging about 25 deg & evening temps normally dropping into the single digits.
1 and 2 week cold spells where the daytime high never gets above Zero deg f., are common.
If you love cold and ice, you'll think you died and went to heaven !  - - - - (at least til the first heating bill arrives !)

Though still technically winter, by the 2nd week in February, one starts to first sense a change.  The color changes
ever so slightly but yet perceptible, to a warmer yellow. Though the air remains cold, where the suns beats down,
surface temperatures on darker areas start to feel quite warm.  The first omen of another re-birth....



 

Summer - wide view

 Winter - extreme wide view

 

 

Last Modified:  Feb 1, 2011

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