Current:Home > FinanceThis photo shows the moment Maine’s record high tide washed away more than 100-year-old fishing shacks -AssetTrainer
This photo shows the moment Maine’s record high tide washed away more than 100-year-old fishing shacks
View
Date:2025-04-14 18:54:47
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! (2)
Related
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Police dog dies in hot car in Missouri after air conditioner malfunctioned
- JoJo Siwa Shares Her Advice for the Cast of Dance Moms: A New Era
- D23 Ultimate Disney Fan Event Unveils Star Wars, Marvel & More Collections: An Exclusive First Look
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- The Viral Makeup TikTok Can’t Get Enough Of: Moira Cosmetics, Jason Wu, LoveSeen, and More
- Georgia governor suspends Newton County commissioner accused of taking kickback
- The Viral Makeup TikTok Can’t Get Enough Of: Moira Cosmetics, Jason Wu, LoveSeen, and More
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Memphis, Tennessee, officer, motorist killed in car crash; 2nd officer critical
Ranking
- Sam Taylor
- D23 Ultimate Disney Fan Event Unveils Star Wars, Marvel & More Collections: An Exclusive First Look
- Judge overturns $4.7 billion jury award to NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers
- Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert to miss most of training camp with plantar fascia
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Sha'Carri Richardson wins her women's 100m opening heat with ease
- Lululemon's 'We Made Too Much' Section is on Fire Right Now: Score a $228 Jacket for $99 & More
- Video shows explosion at Florida laundromat that injured 4; witness reported smelling gas
Recommendation
Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
BMX racer Kye White leaves on stretcher after Olympic crash
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Missouri’s state primaries
6 people, including 4 children, killed in 2-vehicle crash in Mississippi
Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
Video shows fugitive wanted since 1994 being stopped for minor bicycle violation
Does the alphabet song your kids sing sound new to you? Here's how the change helps them
Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert to miss most of training camp with plantar fascia