This golden beach lines one edge of an idyllic parcel once owned by a well-to-do Mainer known in the press as “The Mystery Main of Wall Street.” In 1946, the Mystery Man, noted for both his trading acumen and his reticence, gifted the state some 350 seashore acres, in memory of his late mother. Subsequently, he presented several hundred more, and in 1951, his bequest became Maine’s first state-owned saltwater beach open to the public. Today, endangered least terns and piping plovers nest in the dunes, while herons, egrets, and Nelson’s and saltmarsh sparrows favor the marsh just behind. Of course, humans like to loiter too. Swimmers and sunbathers share the beach with surfers, who take advantage of breakers so consistent that the Boston Globe has called this spot the best place to surf in New England.
Photo by Benjamin Williamson