Storm Warriors of the Maine Coast: Stories of the Life-Saving Station at Biddeford Pool

by Richard Parsons

Overview

From 1874 until 1915, the “Storm Warriors” of the Fletchers Neck Life Saving Service and the citizens of the Village of Biddeford Pool shared a common history. During the 19th century, the stretch of Maine coast between Portland and the busy docks at Portsmouth, New Hampshire was among the most dangerous passages along the coast of Maine. Rocky beaches, hidden ledges, dangerous currents, and small, low-lying islands were treacherous to mariners. In December 1874 the Biddeford Pool Life Saving Station began its first active season. Six "surfmen" made up the crew charged with protecting this transit. Gleaned from local newspapers, stations logbooks, official records of the Life Saving Service, and the papers and memories of involved families, these are tales of men at odds with the fury of nature— men who subscribed to the motto: “You have to go out but you don’t have to come back.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684752638
Publisher:	Down East Books
Publication date:	07/15/2025
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

Richard Parsons taught history and English for thirty years in public schools before joining the staff of the Institute for Learning Technologies at Columbia University in New York City. There, he worked with others to digitize resources held by the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and the Library of Congress, among others, to make them available to scholars and educators. Later, as a member of the Center for Technology and School Change at Columbia University Teachers College, he worked with pre-service and in-service teachers to bring more effective uses of technology into public school classrooms. Today, Richard lives in Saco, Maine, is a member of the Biddeford Historical Society and serves as historian and member of the executive board of the Friends of the Wood Island Lighthouse. His previous book, Wood Island Lighthouse: Stories from the Edge of the Sea, was published in 2022.

Table of Contents

1. Beginnings

2. Shoving Off (The early years at Biddeford Pool)

3. Stormy Weather (Conflicts with the leadership)

4. First Watch (The first surfmen)

5. Small Mutinies (Unhappiness and discord)

6. Trimming the Sails (Drills and daily life)

7. Course Corrections (Correcting some misunderstandings))

8. Community Relations

9. Sea Shanties (Biddeford Pool poets and their poetry)

10.An Unexpected Encounter (Boston Yacht Club and The “Whizzzer” of 1912)

11.Three Schooners (Three wrecks on one day)

12.Captain Lewis C. Totman (The longest serving keeper)

13.The Station (The physical structure -1905-1975)

14.Photo Essay: The Restoration (The Station on the National Register of Historic Places) 15.Captain Joseph Staples (The last Keeper during the life-saving era- 1912-1915)

16.End of an Era (Summary of Coast Guard Years- 1915-1971/ Conclusion)

Footnotes

Bibliography