Desert of Maine celebrates 100 years of ecological wonder
Desert of Maine Turns a Century Old While Tree Growth Takes Root in Shifting Sands
FREEPORT – A sandy expanse that emerged when 19th‑century farming stripped away the topsoil of the Tuttle family’s farm is marking a century as a public attraction. The 25‑acre site, now known as the Desert of Maine, was first opened to visitors in 1926 and has evolved from a roadside curiosity into a mixed‑use destination that blends recreation, camping and education.
When early settlers cleared the land for intensive agriculture, the underlying dunes—left behind by glaciers tens of thousands of years ago—were exposed. Over the past hundred years the area has become a living laboratory where the process of ecological succession can be observed in real time. Trees are beginning to encroach on the shifting sand, offering guests a front‑row seat to nature’s slow but steady transformation.
The site’s current stewards, Mela Jones and her late husband Doug Heestand, purchased the property in 2018 with the intention of reshaping what Jones described as a “largest‑ball‑of‑string” type attraction. Jones, reflecting on her decision, said she was driven by “insanity” and a fascination with the place’s untapped potential. During her first season leading tours, she was surprised by the number of ecologists, botanists and biologists who showed up, prompting her to recognize the desert’s value as an educational resource.
Since the acquisition, the desert has added mini‑golf, play areas, a campground and a suite of interpretive exhibits that trace both the property’s history and broader trends in Maine tourism. A barn originally belonging to the Tuttle family was dismantled in 2022 to recover its historic timbers; the structure is being rebuilt on a multi‑year timetable and will eventually serve as a performing‑arts venue. Jones emphasizes that the mission is to provide “fun and engagement” while fostering learning.
The attraction operates as a private business but also supports a nonprofit arm, the Center for Arts and Ecology, which curates art installations and scientific programs. Visitors can explore a hands‑on ecology lab where children sift for rocks and minerals, dig for fossils in designated pits, and learn about the site’s geological past. A 1930s spring house, uncovered in 2020 after being buried by sand, illustrates how early tourists were drawn to Maine for its clean water and air. In Jones’s words, “people were coming to Maine from big cities…for clean water and clean air.”
The grounds also feature a scavenger hunt centered on the Hermit of Maine, Charles Coffin, who turned the desert’s popularity into his own tourist enterprise during the 1930s and ’40s. A reconstructed 1930s gas station and tea room called Shady Grove, complete with a genuine Ford Model T, highlights the role of automobiles in travel and the emergence of tea rooms as safe havens for women on the road. Jones noted that “it’s really important for me to highlight women in the history of the Desert of Maine.”
A timeline walk guides guests from the desert’s early days to the 1960s, where a period‑appropriate farmhouse stands as a nod to the Tuttle era. Looking ahead, the desert’s director of staff and visitor experience, Ajay Henry‑Hill, said the goal is to welcome all age groups and invite longtime Mainers who may have visited as schoolchildren to return. “We want Mainers to know that we want them to come in and explore the space, too…there’s something for everyone,” he said.
The desert’s centennial celebrations included a series of community events, and the schedule continues with a poetry workshop on August 30 and a “Wander in Terror” Halloween program later this year. While the attraction continues to develop new exhibits and programming, its core identity remains a place where the past and present intersect, offering both amusement and insight into Maine’s ecological and tourism heritage.
