Whaleback Shell Midden, Archaeological midden in Damariscotta, United States.
The Whaleback Shell Midden is an archaeological site along the Damariscotta River containing accumulated shells and remains left by Native American communities over many centuries. Multiple visible layers form a natural archive showing what people harvested, consumed, and discarded from this location over an extended period.
Indigenous peoples deposited shells here between 200 BC and 1000 AD, creating layers of accumulated remains over many generations. In the late 1800s, commercial operations began removing significant portions for industrial processing, fundamentally altering the original formation.
The site demonstrates how shellfish, particularly oysters, were a staple food harvested and consumed over many generations. The scattered fragments and layers tell us about daily life and the relationship between these communities and the river's resources.
The site is accessible via a maintained trail system that provides educational information about the community and its history. Visiting during warmer months offers easier walking conditions, though the area can be explored year-round.
In the late 1800s, a company extracted large portions of the midden to process shells into poultry feed, destroying much of what had been built up over centuries. This loss actually prompted greater efforts to study and protect what remained.
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