Noted Pocahontas rescuee and New World hype man Captain John Smith laid eyes on this harbor in 1614 and wrote admiringly of the hills that encroach upon it, “against whose feet doth beat the sea.” These days, yachts and schooners doth come in droves, and a few overwinter, shrink-wrapped in plastic. In 1928, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. designed the small park seen in this photograph, which hosts an annual tree-lighting during the community’s holiday celebration. In the early 20th century, the town was home to a hotshot young poet who wrote some pretty maudlin Christmas-themed verses, including one poem that gave its title to a Pulitzer-winning collection. It’s a short walk from the harbor to the inn where the celebrity poetess got her big break, but it’s closed in the winter, as is much of this town’s substantial hospitality sector. Locals tend not to mind the peace and quiet, though. The Wabanaki word for the area means “great swells of the sea,” but in summertime, the town is equally characterized by its great swells of tourists, who come for festivals and conferences and, of course, lovely views of the harbor.
Photographed by Benjamin Williamson.