Perkins Cove is a small harbor bay and fishing village in the town of Ogunquit in York County, Maine, United States.
Perkins Cove, Maine | |
|---|---|
 View from Perkins Cove Drawbridge | |
  Perkins Cove  Perkins Cove | |
| Coordinates: 43°14′12.3″N 70°35′24.7″W / 43.236750°N 70.590194°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maine |
| County | York |
| Town | Ogunquit |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 03907 |
| Area codes | 207 |
| GNIS feature ID | 573203[1] |
History
editEnglish fishermen first began settling here in the 1620s. Prior to this, the land had been home to the Native Abenaki peoples.[2]
In the early years of the European settlement, the area was most commonly referred to as Fish Cove[3] or simply "the cove". It wouldn't be until the late 1800s that the name Perkins Cove would be adopted. The Perkins family, one of the earliest seafaring families in the cove, ran a boardinghouse called the "Perkins Cove House" and from that the name was derived.[4]
At the very end of the nineteenth century, Perkins Cove would begin its transformation into a thriving artist colony. It was at this time that painter Charles Woodbury founded his highly regarded art school, drawing in an influx of artists. By 1911, Hamilton Easter Field would also establish a summer art school here, converting old fish shacks into art studios and rentals.[5] The contributions of both men were instrumental in the development of Ogunquit, not only as a flourishing artist hub, but also as a beloved vacation destination.[6]
Geography
editThe village of Perkins Cove is located on a peninsula, situated between the anchorage basin at the mouth of the Josias River and Oarweed Cove. The Basin, as it is known today, did not exist prior to 1880. It is a man-made inlet, created by digging out a channel between what was formerly Flat Pond and the Gulf of Maine. This provided a shelter for the fishermen to anchor their dories.[7]
The Marginal Way, a mile-long public footpath along the rocky coastal shoreline, stretches from Perkins Cove to central Ogunquit.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Perkins Cove". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ Waltz, Vicky (August 4, 2008). "Day Tripping: 12 Hours in Ogunquit, Maine". Boston University Today. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
- ^ Smith, Jen Rose (2018). Moon: Maine, Vermont & New Hampshire. Hachette Book Group. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ Severson, Kathryn M.; Meffert, Susan Day; Natoli, Marie D. (2009). Then & Now: Ogunquit. Arcadia Publishing. p. ix. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ Volpe, Christopher (November 21, 2022). "The Ogunquit Art Colony: A Plein Air Paradise". Streamline Publishing. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ "OGUNQUIT, MAINE - A FOCAL POINT FOR AMERICAN MODERNISM" (PDF). Ogunquit Museum of American Art. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
- ^ Cummins, Sharon (August 21, 2008). "Perkins Cove: Result of patience and persistence". York County Coast Star. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
- ^ Hussey II, Arthur M.; Marvinney, Robert G. (February 2002). "The Geology of the Marginal Way, Ogunquit, Maine". Maine Geological Survey, Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry. Retrieved August 21, 2023.