Rachel Carson At Newagen An inspiration to greatness

by Sarah Meredith

On the tip of Southport Island, away from the hustle and bustle of nearby Boothbay Harbor, the Newagen Seaside Inn has been preserved as an elegant reminder of a bygone era. There are no telephones or televisions in the rooms and the unspoiled beauty of this seaside world inspired one of the natural world’s greatest champions, Rachel Carson. The noted marine biologist completed much of her research and writing for The Edge of the Sea and later for her internationally acclaimed Silent Spring at Newagen.

Born in 1907 in Pennsylvania, Rachel Carson developed her deep love for nature as a child, exploring the woods at her mother’s side. After studying marine biology, Rachel graduated from college in 1929 and then continued her studies of ocean life at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts and received her masters in zoology from Johns Hopkins University in 1932.

Rachel began her career as a naturalist writing radio programs for the Department of Fisheries during the Great Depression. Her talent for communicating science to the public led to her work as Editor-in-Chief of all publications for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Conservation, natural resources and natural history were topics explored in Rachel’s scientific research.

She also began writing prose, which was well received by the public. The Sea Around Us won the National Book award in 1952 and was on the non-fiction best-seller list for thirty-nine weeks. After a fifteen-year career with the Fish and Wildlife department, Rachel decided to pursue writing fulltime in 1952. Publishing articles such as Help Your Child to Wonder and Our Ever-Changing Shore, Rachel shared her love of the ocean with a wide audience.

During the 1950s and 1960s Rachel spent many weeks vacationing and studying in the quiet of Newagen. A story is told that Rachel once spent such a long time wading in the chilly tidal pools of Newagen’s coast that she

(cont. on page 34)

(cont. from page 33) needed to be carried back to the inn. Warming herself by the fire and writing The Edge of The Sea, Rachel created a portrait of Newagen that draws guests from all over the world.

I can’t think of a more exciting place to be than down in the low tide world, when the ebb tide falls very early in the morning, and the world is full of salt smell, and the sound of water, and the softness of fog. Rachel Carson, The Edge of the Sea

With the publication of Silent Spring in 1962, Rachel drew some criticism as an alarmist for her criticism of pesticide use. Today she is recognized as one of the most influential scientists of the twentieth century (Time, 1999) for her groundbreaking study of the negative effects of pesticides on the environment. She spoke out often to remind the public that we are all a part of the ecosystem and will be affected by pollutants along with the natural world.

Shore Hills

Shortly before her untimely death in 1964, Carson spent her last visit to Maine at the inn. The tall foliage, the migration of the monarch butterflies and the fading of the wildflower gardens spoke to Rachel as a reminder of life’s eternal cycles.

September 10, 1963

Dear One, This is a postscript to our morning at Newagen, something I think I can write better than say. For me, it was one of the loveliest of the summer’s hours, and all the details will remain in my memory: that blue September sky, the sounds of wind in the spruces and surf on the rocks, the gulls busy with their foraging, alighting with deliberate grace, the distant views of Griffiths Head and Todd Point, today so clearly etched, though once half seen in swirling fog. But most of all I shall remember the Monarchs, that unhurried westward drift of one small winged form after another, each drawn by some invisible force. We talked a little about their migration, their life history. Did they return? We thought not; for most, at least, this was the closing journey of their lives. But it occurred to me this afternoon, remembering, that it had been a happy spectacle, that we had felt no sadness when we spoke of the fact that there would be no return. And rightly — for when any living thing has come to the end of its life cycle we accept that end as natural. For the Monarch, that cycle is measured in a known span of months. For ourselves, the measure is something else, the span of which we cannot know. But the thought is the same: when that intangible cycle has run its course it is a natural and not unhappy thing that a life comes to its end. That is what those brightly fluttering bits of life taught me this morning. I found a deep happiness in it — so, I hope, may you. Thank you for this morning.

This letter was written by Rachel Carson on her last full day in Maine to her dear friend, Dorothy Freeman. That morning the two of them sat on the west lawn of the Newagen Inn as Rachel’s declining health forced her to consider her own mortality. After a battle with cancer, Rachel passed away the following spring. She chose Newagen as her final resting place. Her ashes were scattered to the winds and sea and a plaque was erected in her honor on our western shore.

Today’s inn guests can be enthralled by the same tidal pools, savor the sounds and the smells of the sea and the softness of fog, and explore a milelong seaside trail. Innkeepers continue the careful stewardship of this precious natural wonder and the tradition of hospitality that welcomed Rachel so many years ago.