Workers Unearth Maine Building Buried In Sand For 75 Years

If you have spent much time adventuring around Maine there is a good chance you have made at least one stop at The Desert of Maine.  If you have never been there it is a legit desert.  No, really.

The desert has been there for thousands of years, but the sand had (until the last few centuries) always been covered by soil.  Sadly, poor farming practices in the 19th century lead to soil erosion which unearthed the sand.  While it forced the abandonment of the farm, it did create a cool tourist attraction.

During your tour of the desert, you probably wandered past a sign detailing the history of a freshwater spring that once graced the property.  A small building that had been built on the location sold cups of spring water to the desert's visitors.  During the shutdown caused by World War 2, many of the tourist attraction's buildings were reclaimed by the sands.  The spring building was one of those buried.  It did not happen immediately, though.  The tip top of the building was visible until 1962.  Yes, the building has not been seen in its entirety for nearly 80 years!

Over the weekend, all that changed!

According to a post on The Desert of Maine Facebook page, an old sign claimed the building was buried under 8 feet of sand.  Using ground-penetrating radar, it was found the top of the house was only 15 feet under the sand.  So, what did they do?  They started digging!  Their plan is to continue to excavate the old building.  Who knows, maybe the spring is still there, too!

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