In the spirit of Throwback Thursday, today on our Maine Virtual Vacation we’re going way back thousands of years to a place where the prehistoric inhabitants of Maine threw their recyclables. Ok, so in terms of our hike down memory lane we’re only going back to 2019, but the Damariscotta Shell Midden goes back a lot farther in time.
Created thousands of years ago, the Whaleback Shell Midden in Damariscotta, Maine is a unique dog friendly historic walk. Native Americans visited this site along the Damariscotta River from approximately 2,200 to 1,000 years ago. While there they discarded the oyster shells they collected thus forming over the course of a thousand years a midden, or shell mound. In fact, it was called “Whaleback” because of the shape of the massive shell heap. Today only a small fraction of this mound exists but the Whaleback Shell Midden is a rare opportunity to visit an historic site thousands of years old in Maine.
Shell middens are basically rubbish dumps left by prehistoric peoples. However, because of the calcium carbonate content of the shells, middens tend to be alkaline, which reduces soil acidity that otherwise quickly destroys shells, bones and other discarded materials. Therefore, while many of New England’s Native American artifacts have decomposed in acidic soils, those in middens are often well preserved. The middens around Damariscotta are the largest examples north of South Carolina, and have revealed historic environmental and climatic conditions, as well as cultural practices with the animals bones, pottery, and tools that have been found within it.
However, what was considered rubbish by the Native Americans, became a valuable resource to the European settlers who used these discarded shells for a variety of purposes starting in the 1600s, including as lime by masons, fertilizer by farmers, and as road fill. Although slowly removed for two hundred years, it was the large scale industrial mining of the midden for an additive to chicken feed in 1886 that depleted this once massive mound. Before being destroyed, it stretched 400 feet from the river bank and was 15 feet deep.
While only traces remain visible on this side of the river, the Whaleback Shell Midden State Historic Site offers interesting views of the remaining midden on the opposite side of the Damariscotta River. There the heap measures up to 30 feet deep in places, and extends approximately 150 feet along the river, protected by thick vegetation.
Dogs are allowed on-leash to enjoy this half mile interpretive trail that takes visitors through fields of wildflowers, remains of an apple orchard, and along the shore of the Damariscotta River. However, due to the sensitive nature of the site, please do not allow dogs to dig, climb the remaining midden, or disturb the nesting Bobolink and other animals that call this area home. Parking is available in a small dirt lot at 535 Main Street in Damariscotta. Look for the sign in this urban area surrounded by businesses. Admission is free.
