(PatriotPostNews.com) – During a historically high tide off the coast of Maine, three structures from the 1800s were destroyed.
The destruction followed the discovery of a 1911 shipwreck that was found two days before. It was caught on video by Michelle Erskine, who had been visiting Willard Beach’s Fisherman’s Point, located in South Portland, on January 13. Her footage shows two of the three fisherman shacks disappearing in the ocean.
Erskine had a personal connection to the historical site, having grown up in South Portland and her son’s having a senior photo shoot at the place. She lamented the loss and empathized with her community, decrying that a piece of history had been “washed away.”
The three destroyed shacks, which are only part of a larger group of historic fishing structures, were built near Maine’s shore and moved to their latest location back in the 1880s. They predated when the city of Portland was incorporated. Previously, two other shacks were demolished in another storm in 1978.
On the afternoon of January 13, the high tide was measured at 14.57 feet, breaking all previous records. The next closest to the record was set in 1978, when the tide reached 14.17 feet, which was the highest record since 1912, when such measurements were initiated.
The city of Portland posted an announcement of the incident on Facebook, saying it was “sadly” sharing the news of the shacks that were “completely destroyed.” However, the South Portland Historical Society pointed out that they had already prepared for such an incident.
The organization has reportedly had drawings and recreations planned by architects as well as engineers, pre-empting the possibility of losing the shacks while preserving a way to “build reproductions” of the structures “if needed.” To complete the project, the society has requested donations from the public to provide funding.
The storm was severe enough to threaten the safety of four individuals on a fishing boat which struck land near Cape Elizabeth. The passengers were successfully rescued by the Coast Guard.
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