Damariscotta

Town in Lincoln County, southwest Maine; population (1990) 1,811. It is on the east bank of the Damariscotta River, an estuary extending about 32 km/20 mi north from a point just east of Boothbay Harbor. Twin to Newcastle, across the river, Damariscotta was an early trading post site. Shipbuilding, shellfish and lobsters fishing, and tourism are the main industries. Among local attractions are the shell heaps left along the river over centuries by indigenous peoples; Pemaquid Point is 22 km/14 mi to the south, at the mouth of the Damariscotta River.