Biddeford Pool is the site of Maine's first recorded permanent settlement, then called Winter Harbor (not to be confused with present-day
Winter Harbor, Maine). In the winter of 1616-1617,
Richard Vines, a physician, resided here as part of the colonization efforts of
Sir Ferdinando Gorges, lord proprietor of Maine. An early village developed on the north side. In 1688,
Fort Mary was built near the pool's entrance. The former
Fletcher's Neck Lifesaving Station, closed in 1971 and on the
National Register of Historic Places, still stands at Ocean Avenue and Fourth Street. During
World War II the
Biddeford Pool Military Reservation was established from 1941 to 1945, on what is now the Abenakee Golf Club. It had four circular concrete platforms called "
Panama mounts" for
155 mm guns, three of which remain today. From December 1941 to 12 February 1943 it was garrisoned by Battery F of the
240th Coast Artillery of the
Maine National Guard; this unit was then relieved by Battery E of the
22nd Coast Artillery, which departed in October 1943; it is unclear what unit was at the site after that time. The small harbor hosts both vacationers and
lobstermen. Its water level fluctuates from a large navigable body during high
tide to mostly
mudflats during low tide. The only exception is the deep mouth, where a
gut is located which is naturally
dredged by tidal current. It is locally known as "The Gut." Consequently, this is the area where most boats are moored.
Wood Island Light is located about a mile offshore to the northeast. Biddeford Pool is bounded by the mainland to the south and west, by
Hills Beach to the north, and by East Point to the east. The area is a popular summer destination for visitors from as far south as
Florida and as far west as
California. The pool is surrounded by tall grass
salt marshes that are home to a variety of birds and other wildlife. East Point Sanctuary, maintained by the Maine Audubon Society, is considered to be one of the premier
birding spots on the northeast coast. Mile Stretch Road, a sandy strip of beach which connects the neighborhood of Biddeford Pool to the mainland, is a notable
tombolo. Points of interest around Biddeford Pool include the Biddeford coastal neighborhoods of
Hills Beach, Fortune's Rocks, and Granite Point; and the Kennebunkport coastal area of Goose Rocks. ==References==