Ocean Park, Maine

Apologies for not writing more regularly. I spent last week at an American Studies conference at Dartmouth, and this week at a rainy Ocean Park, Maine. Ocean Park was founded by Free Will Baptists ins 1881, and is part of the town of Old Orchard Beach, about 20 minutes south of Portland.

This was my second trip to Ocean Park, and I had a great visit with Frank and Helen Gwalthney. Their little cottage has three bedrooms, but they're all connected by closets. The beams in the living room are open to the rafters. A neat little spot to spend a few cold, rainy days.


Ocean Park is an especially neat spot because it is right at the edge of the ocean, and also has a town square just a block away, complete with soda fountain, gift shop, sub shop, and association office.


Most of the architecture at Ocean Park is a cross between Cape Cod and Victorian - in the woods and also right on the beach. The Temple, their auditorium and church, is an octagon with one center pole; the construction was so solid that, to make way for better movie projection early in the 20th century, the pole was cut off about 20 feet in the air.


Ocean Park is a very down-to-earth, pretty community ... very Maine (though residents hail from around New England and beyond). Next week, I'm off to Ocean Grove, NJ and Mt. Gretna, PA.