Harraseeket River
| Harraseeket River | |
|---|---|
 The Harraseeket River inSouth Freeport, Maine | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Maine |
TheHarraseeket Riveris a 3.2-mile-long (5.1 km)[1]tidal river in the town ofFreeportwithin theU.S. stateofMaine.It forms a northern arm ofCasco Bay.
Several smaller streams flow into the Harraseeket that have their headwaters in Freeport andBrunswick,to include Frost Gully Brook and Kelsey Brook.[2]The Harraseeket embayment[3]joins Casco Bay between Moore Point on its eastern shore, and Stockbridge Point on its western shore, with a small island called Pound of Tea dividing the channel.[4]
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife includes the Harraseeket in the designated Maquoit and Middle Bay Focus Area of Statewide Ecological Significance that extends from Harpswell Neck to theRoyal RiverinYarmouth,recognizing a diverse habitat for fish and wildlife including tidal marshes, eelgrass beds and mudflats.[5]
Protected lands open to the public along the Harraseeket includeWolfe's Neck Woods State Park,[6]the Mast Landing Audubon Sanctuary[7]andWinslow Memorial Park.[8]
Ecology
[edit]The Harraseeket River supports a range of wildlife and tidal organisms, to include ducks likeBarrow's goldeneye,common goldeneye,[9]northern pintailandlesser scaup;[10]fish likeAtlantic mackereland rainbow smelt;[11]and shellfish likeblue mussels,[12]soft-shell clamsandgreen crabs.[13]Herring gullsandgreat black-backed gullsare a constant in the Harraseeket River basin, along withcormorants.[14]
In 2023, three dams were removed from Frost Gully Brook which flows into the Harraseeket River, improving the habitat there forbrook trout.[15]
The municipal Freeport Sewer District operates a secondary wastewater treatment plant licensed to discharge an average of 750,000 gallons daily into the Harraseeket River via an outfall pipe. Flows are monitored seasonally forEnterococci bacteriaand under the parameters of theNational Shellfish Sanitation Program.[16]
Marine economy
[edit]Multiple marinas and boatyards operate in the Harraseeket with sailboats and power boats moored in an extensive anchorage in the lower reaches of the estuary.[17]Other enterprises include commercial lobster boats,an island ferry,tour boats and other working boats.[18]
The town of Freeport maintains a public dock on the west bank of the Harraseeket, and employs a harbor master and shellfish warden.[19]
History
[edit]Prior to the arrival of European settlers,Abenakipeoples who were allied with the largerWabanaki Confederacylived in the Casco Bay region. Some researchers have identified the Almouchiquois or Aucocisco as the area's dominant group centered on thePresumpscot Riverwest of the Harraseeket,[20]while another group called the Pejebscot were located along theAndroscoggin Rivereast of the Harraseeket.[21]
The earliest colonial settlements along the Harraseeket were linked to farming or harvesting pine trees for ship masts for theRoyal Navy,with those logging efforts centered initially on thePiscataqua River.[21]Trees marked for Royal Navy use were marked with a "broad arrow" symbol, with a penalty of 100 pounds sterling to be levied on anyone who cut down any of those trees without permission, but with evidence that plenty of local residents flouted the rule. Mast Landing, situated in the upper navigable reaches of the Harraseeket, became a loading point for the timber, and in time shipbuilding emerged as a major industry on the Harraseeket.[22]
During the 17th and early 18th century, a number of Maine farmers turned to shipbuilding as a way to capitalize on surplus timber they cleared to grow crops, typically forming syndicates to share ownership and any profits from cargoes. While some vessels were built on farm properties and then launched there or hauled overland to waterways, small shipyards began opening along rivers and harbors that attracted and then groomed over succeeding generations a homegrown industry of shipwrights, tradesmen and laborers under the direction of "master builders".[23]
Born in 1753 inWeymouth, Massachusetts,by 1777 Seward Porter had built a homestead near Mast Landing. In 1782, Porter commenced shipbuilding at what would become known asPorter's Landing.[24]
In the 1830s, Rufus Soule began leasing space at Porter's Landing for a shipyard that would launch more than 100 vessels. Others would follow downstream along the Harraseeket River, to include shipyards under the names Briggs & Cushing, Talbot, Bliss and Soule Brothers.[25]
In 1974, theHarraseeket Historic Districtwas added to theNational Register of Historic Places,including Wolfe's Neck, Mast Landing, Porter's Landing and the village ofSouth Freeport.[26]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data.The National Map,accessed June 30, 2011
- ^"Inner Bay".Casco Bay Estuary Partnership.Retrieved17 August2024.
- ^Grady, Meryl (2019)."WJ Growing Area"(PDF).WJ Sanitary Survey 2019:4.Retrieved19 August2024.
- ^"NOAA Chart - 13290"(PDF).NOAA Chart - 13290_Public.National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Retrieved17 August2024.
- ^"Maquoit and Middle Bay"(PDF).Focus Areas of Statewide Ecological Significance.Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry.Retrieved17 August2024.
- ^"Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park".Parks & Natural Attractions.Maine Office of Tourism.Retrieved17 August2024.
- ^"Mast Landing Audubon Sanctuary".Mast Landing Audubon Sanctuary.Maine Audubon.Retrieved17 August2024.
- ^"Winslow Park".Winslow Park.Freeport Conservation Trust.Retrieved17 August2024.
- ^Gallo, Susan; Hodgman, Thomas P.; Camuso, Judy."Important Bird Areas of Maine"(PDF).Maine Audubon.Retrieved20 August2024.
- ^Lovitch, Derek."Recent Highlights, 2/24– 3/1/2024".Maine Birding Fieldnotes.Retrieved19 August2024.
- ^"Fourth North American Workshop on Rainbow Smelt: Extended Abstract Proceedings"(PDF).North American Workshop on Rainbow Smelt:15. July 2012.Retrieved20 August2024.
- ^"Human Exposure to Toxic Chemicals Through Subsistence Shellfishing in Casco Bay"(PDF).cascobayestuary.org.Casco Bay Estuary Project.Retrieved19 August2024.
- ^"Investigation Into The Cause Of The Clam Decline: 2015".Downeast Institute.Retrieved19 August2024.
- ^Wilde, Dana (2022)."The 'Undeclared War' on the Reviled Cormorant".Island Journal.Retrieved20 August2024.
- ^"Program Highlights"(PDF).Coastal Program.U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.Retrieved19 August2024.
- ^"Proposed Draft MEPDES Permit Renewal"(PDF).EPA.State of Maine Department of Environmental Protection.Retrieved19 August2024.
- ^United States Coast Pilot 1(PDF).National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 11 August 2024. p. 281.Retrieved20 August2024.
- ^"Coastal Waters Ordinance".Town of Freeport, Maine.Retrieved20 August2024.
- ^"Harbor Master".FreeportMaine.com.Town of Freeport, Maine.Retrieved20 August2024.
- ^"About Falmouth - The Almouchiquois".About Falmouth - The Almouchiquois.The Falmouth Historical Society.Retrieved17 August2024.
- ^abThurston, Florence G.; Cross, Harmon S. (1940).Three Centuries of Freeport, Maine.Portland, Maine: The Southworth-Anthoensen Press.Retrieved17 August2024.
- ^Hurd, Holly (2016)."The King of England's Claim in Freeport, Maine"(PDF).The Dash(Winter 2016): 1, 3.Retrieved17 August2024.
- ^Fairburn, William Armstrong (1955).Merchant Sail, Volume V.Lovell, Maine: Fairburn Marine Educational Foundation. pp. 3230–3231.Retrieved18 August2024.
- ^"The Story of the Dash".Freeport History.Freeport Historical Society.Retrieved18 August2024.
- ^Hurd, Holly."Strouts Point: An Active Waterfront for More Than Two Centuries"(PDF).The Dash - Freeport Historical Society(Summer 2017): 1, 7–8.Retrieved18 August2024.
- ^"Harraseeket Historic District FAQs".Harraseeket Historic District.Freeport Historical Society.Retrieved20 August2024.
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Harraseeket River
- Maine Streamflow Data from the USGS
- Maine Watershed Data From Environmental Protection Agency
43°48′17″N70°06′01″W/ 43.80480°N 70.10033°W
