Current:Home > InvestThis photo shows the moment Maine’s record high tide washed away more than 100-year-old fishing shacks -Elevate Capital Network
This photo shows the moment Maine’s record high tide washed away more than 100-year-old fishing shacks
View
Date:2025-04-23 03:32:35
MEREDITH, N.H. (AP) — A record high tide in Maine washed away three historic fishing shacks that had stood since the 1800s and formed the backdrop of countless photographs.
Michelle Erskine said she was visiting fisherman’s point at Willard Beach in South Portland on Saturday when she captured video footage of the last two wooden shacks sliding into the ocean.
“Oh no. They’re both going. Oh no!” she can be heard saying on the video.
Erskine, who has lived in South Portland all her life, said her son had his senior photos taken at the shacks and wedding parties often visited them.
“It’s truly a sad day for the community and the residents of South Portland,” Erskine said in an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday. “History is just being washed away.”
The shacks, owned by the city of South Portland, had just undergone a facelift in October when they were repainted.
They were the last in a series of fishing shacks that predate the city’s incorporation after they were first built along the shore and then moved to their most recent location in the 1880s. Erskine said they once housed lobster traps and fishing gear. Two shacks were destroyed in an earlier storm in 1978.
A record 14.57-foot (4.4-meter) high tide was measured in Portland, Maine, just after noon on Saturday, after a storm surge amplified what was already the month’s highest tide, said National Weather Service meteorologist Michael Cempa. That broke the previous record of 14.17 feet (4.3 meters) set in 1978 and was the highest since measurements began in 1912. Cempa said the tide gauge measures the difference between the high tide and the average low tide.
The surge flooded some homes in Orchard Beach and Kennebunkport in Maine, and Hampton Beach in New Hampshire. It came just days after a previous storm damaged one of Maine’s most beloved lighthouses which is featured on the state quarter.
“Very sadly, all three fishing shacks at Willard Beach have been completely destroyed,” the city wrote on its Facebook page.
But the South Portland Historical Society sounded a note of hope, saying on social media that it had prepared for such an event by last year enlisting architects and engineers to create drawings “so that everything would be in place to build reproductions of the shacks, if needed.”
The society is asking for donations to rebuild.
veryGood! (1737)
Related
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- WNBA can't afford to screw up gift it's getting with Caitlin Clark's popularity
- Serena Williams says she'd 'be super-interested' in owning a WNBA team
- 4 family members plead not guilty in abduction and abuse of a malnourished Iowa teen
- Southern California rocked by series of earthquakes: Is a bigger one brewing?
- Will Canada Deport a Student Climate Activist on Earth Day?
- 2024 NBA play-in tournament: What I'm watching, TV schedule, predictions
- U.S. Olympic leader praises Caitlin Clark's impact, talks potential Olympic spot
- US Open player compensation rises to a record $65 million, with singles champs getting $3.6 million
- Is whole milk good for you? Here are the healthiest milk options, according to an expert
Ranking
- $1 Frostys: Wendy's celebrates end of summer with sweet deal
- US Reps. Green and Kustoff avoid Tennessee primaries after GOP removes opponents from ballot
- Fire rages through the 17th-century Old Stock Exchange in Copenhagen, toppling the iconic spire
- Serena Williams says she'd 'be super-interested' in owning a WNBA team
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Starbucks releases 'swicy' refresher beverages built off sweet heat trend
- Weedkiller manufacturer seeks lawmakers’ help to squelch claims it failed to warn about cancer
- You may need Form 4868 to file a tax extension. Here's what to know as deadline looms.
Recommendation
Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
Golden Bachelor’s Theresa Nist Responds to “Angry” Fans Over Gerry Turner Divorce
William Decker: From business genius to financial revolution leader
Gossip TikToker Kyle Marisa Roth Dead at 36
The GOP and Kansas’ Democratic governor ousted targeted lawmakers in the state’s primary
Wealth Forge Institute: THE WFI TOKEN MEETS THE FINANCIAL SECTOR
USA Basketball finalizing 11 players for Paris Olympics, led by LeBron James, Steph Curry
Large dust devil captured by storm chaser as it passes through Route 66 in Arizona: Watch