Mount Agamenticus
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Mount Agamenticus is a 692 ft (211 m) high
Though under 700 ft (210 m) high, Mount Agamenticus was historically a noted landmark for sailors.
Mount Agamenticus is also affectionately known by older locals as "Big A," the nickname of a
History
In 1614, Captain
Name
Upon returning to
Plantation of Agamenticus
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The Agamenticus plantation was personally established from afar by
St. Aspinquid
around whom little is known, including whether he ever even existed.He allegedly was murdered[clarification needed] in 1696 and was declared a martyr [clarification needed] and buried atop Mount Agamenticus.
According to legend, Saint Aspinquid (sometimes Aspenquid) was born in May 1588, and after converting to Christianity, spread the gospel to tribes across the continent.
His funeral and burial atop Mount Agamenticus in May 1682, at which 6,712 animals were allegedly sacrificed, was allegedly attended by hundreds, even thousands, of Native Americans.
Numerous people have written and questioned the legendary account, even to the point of challenging the existence of St. Aspinquid. Some have suggested the Saint is a fanciful version of real Chief Passaconaway. In the 1881 essay A Winter Drive, Seacoast literary legend Sarah Orne Jewett remarked that "...I could never trace this legend beyond a story in one of the county newspapers, and I have never heard any tradition among the people that bears the least likeness to it."
A symbolic cairn on the summit stands as memorial to the Aspinquid legend.
As a ski area
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Mount Agamenticus has the highest elevation of any hill within its distance to the ocean from Portland, Maine, to Brownsville, Texas.[4] The ski area there, The Big A, had a 2,400 foot double chairlift, a 1,200 foot T-Bar, and a rope tow, and was supplemented with both snowmaking and night skiing.[5] At its peak the area had nine trails spread over 500’ of vertical drop, including a mile long Beginner, two novice, two intermediate, and four Advanced.[5] the facility had a summit lodge, complete with a ski shop[4] and 400 car parking lot - on top the mountain, not at its base.[5] The ski area operated from 1966 to 1974.[4]
Today
Today there is a park at the summit, with a trail network covering the area. There is a large cell phone mast at the top, arrayed with various other antenna. It is one of the best places for viewing hawks in New England.[citation needed]
Trails
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In addition to a road to the summit and limited parking there, the mountain has a network of trails for hiking. Its short access trail from the main parking area at the base leads to the ring trail, which encircles the mountain’s summit. Feeder trails off of it offer access to the top.
See also
- St. Apenquid’s Chapel
References
- ^ "Mt. Agamenticus at Summitpost.org". www.summitpost.org. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
- New International Encyclopedia(1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
- ^ “1630, Agamenticus, Gorgeana, York” piscataquaplantations.com
- ^ a b c “Mt. Agamenticus York, Maine, 1966-1974” New England Lost Ski Areas
- ^ a b c https://www.newenglandskihistory.com/Maine/mtagamenticus.php. Archived 2021-08-01 at the Wayback Machine