Beyond the South End

The ‘Ole Swimming Hole

Belgrade Lakes. From masterlife.com

I’ve jumped off many wharfs like this,

 as well as floats and rocks and whatever else there was to dive off.

 (This blog was suggested by sister, Sara. Thanks, sis.)

Summer meant swimming when we were kids. Anytime we got the chance to get near a body of water where we could go swimming was a good day. Our “swimming holes” were pretty big holes. Some of them were as big as the ocean even. Maine probably has close to the same amount of lakes that Minnesota does. The same glacier dug out some pretty big pot holes in both our states to leave some awesome bodies of water. Maine, however, also has the ocean to boot.

The closest thing we have to swimming holes in Maine is quarries. More about them later.
Where was your favorite “hole” to swim in when you were a kid?

Being a South End kid, of course, Sandy Beach was a big draw to us.  We paid no mind to the sewer pipes and the fish factory. There was also the “little granites” further down the shore. Here some left over pilings from a pier or something made a great place for the waves to hit against in high tide. We’d jump up and down as each wave came in.

South End boys play recently in a now clean Sandy Beach.

 It wasn’t too long ago that swimming was banned there.

 Photo by Sandra Sylvester

During the summer, the Rockland Recreation Department would fill a bus up with South End kids and head for Glen Cove to give us swimming lessons. Most of us could already swim, but we went anyway. I, however, would rather just enjoy the day at Glen Cove beach, rather than take those “stupid” swimming lessons. Therefore, my Glen Cove days were numbered. Anyone of you go on those bus trips?

Manmade pools were something rich people had in the city. We couldn’t ever imagine confining ourselves to such a small controlled environment as a pool. If I remember correctly though, there was one huge public pool up Belfast way that was salt-water fed. I think the tide came in and out of that pool. Does anyone remember this pool? I think I went there maybe once with my family. There was a picnic area too.

Over on the farm in Bremen, we kids would beg to go swimming at Biscay, a lake not far away. As I remember, the road to Biscay was very low and close to the water in one place and sometimes flooded, preventing traffic from proceeding. My Aunt Freda, who couldn’t swim, would let us go out into the lake over our heads. We could swim, but she would wave us closer to the shore frantically if she thought we were out too deep. My cousin and I, being daredevils, would often tease her and go out even further, but would soon turn around and come in closer.

Another lake we went to over that way was Damariscotta Lake. I remember it as being very big and also very pretty. I believe we also went to Jefferson Lake.

Damariscotta Lake. From mainecoastpropertiesblog.com

I’ve also spent a good deal of time swimming at Chickawaukee outside town; Megunticook, in Camden; and Sandy Shores over Warren way.

I remember Megunticook as a special lake, so calm and beautiful. If you get the chance, watch this video featuring Ken Bailey, Megunticook Lake Warden. It’s a beautiful piece. (I just learned today, July 19, of Ken's death. See the Courier online for his obit.)

(A special shoutout to Steven Underwood, who produced this video. See his work at www.underwoodproductions.com.)

I have camped at Sandy Shores. I remember the nice sand they had. As a teenager, I belonged to the Future Homemakers of America Club in high school. I was far from a homemaker or even aspiring to be one. The reason I and many of us at the high school joined that club was the sole reason of the beach trip we took every year to Sandy Shores. It was always a fun day.

Another lake I enjoyed swimming at was Beaver Lake up Union way. The Cement Plant always held their company picnic there; lobster feed and all. It was also always a fun day. Our Girl Scout troop once spent the night in the lodge there.

The Quarries

Now we come to the quarries. Quarries were a place you went to with your teenage friends when you became of driving age. No parent in their right mind would take their kids swimming in the biggest of the biggest swimming holes, the quarry. They were deep and dark and bottomless. If you drowned in a quarry, your body may not come up for a long time because the cold water kept it down. Cars have disappeared in them. Get the picture? Anyone who has ever gone swimming in a quarry knows this. I’m trying to educate those of you who are not Mainers.

Quarries, once the industry was over, soon filled in with water, some were fed by underground springs, which kept the water from getting stagnant.

Many of the islands had quarrying ventures. The remaining quarry holes many times serve as the only “swimming hole” an island kid has.

Take a look at this quarry as it was being worked over in Waldoboro.

Post Card from buffaloah.com.

The Maine Granite Industry Historical Society

Look at those ledges that go down and down and down some more. How many feet do you think it was to the bottom? Now imagine a bunch of kids pushing off from some of the top ledges to take a swim in modern times. That’s what quarry swimming is. Sometimes there was a rope hanging from leftover cranes that swung you out into the middle.

Quarry at Vinalhaven

My gang of teenagers swam at either the Long Cove Quarry in Tenants Harbor or the quarry in St. George.

The quarry at Long Cove, Tenants Harbor. From maine.gov.

The quarry in St. George. From article.wn.com

I hope you have fun swimming in your favorite “swimming hole” this summer. I plan to do the same when I come up to Maine. Just for fun, try taking the test about Maine lakes at www.maine.info/lakes.php/ . I only got two correct.

Thanks for listening.