Desert of Maine
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The Desert of Maine is a 40 acre tract of exposed sand in pine forest near Freeport, Maine.
It originated when the Tuttle family farmed the site from 1797. Failure to rotate crops, combined with land clearance and overgrazing, led to soil erosion, exposing a dune of sand-like glacial silt. The initial exposed small patch of sand gradually spread and overtook the entire farm. The Tuttles abandoned the land in the 1919s when it was purchased for $300 by Henry Goldrup, who converted it to a tourist attraction in 1925.[1]
The site is preserved as a natural curiosity, hosting a gift shop and a farming and sand museum.
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