The Last Remnants of Wiscasset’s Ships

Wiscasset Town Dock

For over 5 years, I’ve retreated to the Wiscasset town dock as it's one of the closest places I can access the ocean, though technically it sits on a tidal river. I would sit on the old benches that lined the parking lot with my feet dangling over the water. I'd look down in hopes of seeing a fish or two but the water was rarely clear enough to see anything. I didn't realize, even after all of my gazing across the harbor that there were two ships that deteriorated in the waves right next door.

Recently, I took a stroll through Wiscasset’s Museum in the Streets, and discovered a story about two schooners: Hesper and Luther Little. Like many of Maine’s coastal towns, Wiscasset was a hub for shipbuilding, particularly in the 1800s. However, Hesper and Little Luther were both built in Massachusetts at the start of the 20th century. Both were cargo ships, primarily used for shipping coal and lumber, but their technology was quickly outpaced by newer, steam-powered vessels. 

A man named Frank Winter, also the owner of the Wiscasset and Quebec Railroad, bought the two ships with hopes of expanding the reach of his business, shipping more coal and lumber. Unfortunately for Frank, his business fell to a series of financial setbacks and he, himself, died in 1936—only four years after purchasing the schooners. The two ships were left in Wiscasset’s waters.

The former location of Hesper and Little Luther

Now, for as comfortable as I've gotten in Wiscasset's harbor, it's certainly not the prettiest harbor I've visited. Large, wooden posts disrupt your view of the water at every angle. Honestly, I always thought it added to the charm of the place, but after reading about Hesper and Little Luther, I assumed that the posts near the pier must be evidence of the schooners that once sat there.

Alas, my assumptions were incorrect. According to history, the two schooners survived over 70 years in the harbor until the last of their splinters were hauled off to the local dump in 1998. The ravages of time, tumultuous storms, and the occasional vandal with fireworks turned a historical attraction into an unsightly image on the river. 

Local signage suggests that the deteriorated iron of both ships still survives in the local landfill, while other wooden pieces can be found on display in the Maine Maritime Museum and the Somerset Historical Society. 

Ships being left in harbors is not as uncommon as one might think. The biggest reason for this is cost. Most small coastal communities can’t foot the bill to remove an entire ship from the water, so instead, it adds to the historical interest of the area. From neglect to shipwrecks, Maine alone has dozens of ships decorating the bottom of its many harbors and scenic vistas, some of which are still visible.

Perhaps the many wooden posts that stick out of Wiscasset’s waters are not from two long-abandoned schooners, but now I’ll always wonder: are those old dock posts or the remnants of something much bigger?