FREEPORT — Intensive farming practices in the 1800s stripped away the topsoil at the Tuttle family’s farm in Freeport, revealing sand dunes left behind by retreating glaciers tens of thousands of years ago.

The 25-acre ecological oddity became a tourist attraction by 1926, welcoming city dwellers who traveled up Route 1 for a taste of the rural life. Today, the desert is home to mini golf, play areas, a campground and dozens of interpretive signs and educational activities that tell the history of the property and of Maine tourism itself.

One hundred years later, visitors exploring the dunes at the Desert of Maine can view the early stages of forest succession in real-time as trees start to encroach on the sandy landscape. The desert’s staff, which just celebrated 100 years with a series of community events, said their focus remains on blending fun and education.

Kids hunt for fossils at the Desert of Maine in Freeport last week. (Katie Langley/Staff Writer)

Mela Jones bought the desert in 2018 with her then-husband, Doug Heestand, with the goal of transforming the roadside attraction from what she lovingly describes as a “largest-ball-of-string” tourist trap.

Jones is not sure what inspired her to buy a desert, other than “insanity,” she said. Jones and Heestand were living nearby and became fascinated with the property’s potential — which, at the time, was listed for sale as a campground.

“That first year of giving tours, I had so many ecologists, botanists, biologists (come),” Jones said. “At the end of that summer, I understood what an incredible teaching tool this place was for ecology.”

Her love for the space started with the Tuttle family’s barn on the property, where she envisioned live performances. The barn was taken down in 2022 to restore the original beams. It’ll be rebuilt over the next couple of years and transformed into a performing arts venue, Jones said.

“We’re a very mission-driven tourist destination,” Jones said. “We just want people to have fun and engage with this place and learn something.”

While the tourist attraction is run as a private company, the desert also has a nonprofit arm, the Center for Arts and Ecology, which brings in arts and science programming.

There’s plenty of opportunities to learn while walking through the desert.

Kids can discover rocks and minerals at an ecology lab and dig for fossils in pits. A 1930s spring house, excavated in 2020 after it was buried under sand, gives some insight into tourism trends of the time, as visitors sought Maine for its clean drinking water.

“At the turn of the 19th century and into the early 20th century, people were coming to Maine from big cities, and they were coming here for clean water and clean air,” Jones said.

There’s also a scavenger hunt for cutouts of the Hermit of Maine, whose real name was Charles Coffin. A tourist attraction in his own right, Coffin capitalized off the desert’s popularity in the 1930s and ’40s by inviting visitors to his nearby cabin, where he would regale them with his music and art.

A 1930s gas station and tea room named Shady Grove, complete with a genuine Ford Model T, explores the role of the automobile in tourism and shows the growth of tea rooms as safe spaces for traveling women.

A Ford Model T at the Desert of Maine outside Shady Grove Filling Station. (Katie Langley/Staff Writer)

“It’s really important for me to highlight women in the history of the Desert of Maine,” Jones said.

The route then takes visitors back in time to the 1960s, where they can view a farm house built in the style of the Tuttle family’s era.

Going into the next 100 years, the Desert of Maine staff said they hope to bring in all ages, and encourage Mainers who might have visited for a school trip years ago to give the desert another try.

“We want Mainers to know that we want them to come in and explore the space, too, and engage with local music and local art, and there’s something for everyone,” said Ajay Henry-Hill, the desert’s director of staff and visitor experience.

Events coming up at the Desert of Maine include a poetry workshop on Aug. 30 and a “Wander in Terror” event for Halloween.