Spruce Creek (Maine) - Misplaced Pages

River in Maine, United States

Spruce Creek
The creek seen from the Kittery Point Bridge, where it meets the Piscataqua River. c. 2021
Location
Country	United States
States	Maine
Counties	York, ME
Towns and cities	Eliot, ME, Kittery, ME
Physical characteristics

Source
• location	Eliot, ME
• elevation	60 ft (18 m)

Mouth	Piscataqua River
• location	Kittery, ME
• elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Length	5.25 mi (8.45 km)

Spruce Creek is a 5.25 miles (8.45 km) long tidal creek in York County, Maine beginning in Eliot, Maine and flows to the Atlantic ocean in Kittery, Maine. The creek drops 60 feet (18 m) from the headwaters and flows south and southeasterly direction through the heavily populated town of Kittery before emptying into 2.5 square miles (6.5 km) of clam flats and joining the Piscataqua River.

The town of Kittery has a volunteer organization whose mission is to protect the watershed and help to restore water quality. The Spruce Creek Association was established more than ten years ago and actively monitors sources of bacteria and has implemented best management practice for water pollution for residential, commercial, and municipal properties in the creek watershed area.

History

In May 1698, a farmer by the name of Enoch Hutchins was killed by members of the Abenaki tribe while working in his fields along Spruce Creek. His wife and three sons were taken captive and brought north to Canada. They eventually escaped and made their way back to Maine.

In April 1705, Enoch Hutchins Jr. was again attacked by natives and died a year later from his wounds. His children and wife were taken captive.

Spruce Creek was also the site of several 17th and 18th tide mills, including the Thompson tide mill dam built circa 1694.

References

"Kickapoo Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
"Spruce Creek Watershed". Wells Reserve at Laudholm. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
Staff Writer (May 1, 2008). "Spruce Creek Watershed-Based Management Plan" (PDF). FB Environmental Associates in cooperation with the Towns of Kittery and Eliot, and the Spruce Creek Association. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
Staff Writer (October 23, 2020). "Kittery completes Spruce Creek Watershed Restoration Project". SeacoastOnline. The Portsmouth Herald. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
^ Kerr, D. Allan (January 26, 2022). "Kittery's 375th: 'The perils of everyday life': When the town was a constant battleground". SeacoastOnline. The Portsmouth Herald. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
Coleman, Emma Lewis (1925). New England Captives Carried to Canada Between 1677 and 1760, During the French and Indian Wars. Southworth Press. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
"New Tide Mill Video – Not Just for Locals". Tide Mill Institute. November 24, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2022.

43°06′04″N 70°43′21″W / 43.1010°N 70.7224°W / 43.1010; -70.7224

Gulf of Maine estuaries

Maine

Bays	Blue Hill Bay Casco Bay Chandler Bay Dennys Bay Englishman Bay Frenchman Bay Harrington Bay Machias Bay Maquoit Bay Merrymeeting Bay Muscongus Bay Narraguagus Bay Passamaquoddy Bay Penobscot Bay Pleasant Bay Saco Bay Wohoa Bay
River mouths	Batson River Benjamin River Cape Neddick River Damariscotta River Johns River Jordan River Josias River Kennebunk River Little River (Boothbay) Little River (Drakes Island) Little River (Georgetown) Little River (Goosefare Bay) Little River (York) Morse River Mousam River Ogunquit River Pemaquid River Piscataqua River Sheepscot River Sprague River Webhannet River York River

Massachusetts

Bays	Cape Cod Bay Massachusetts Bay
River mouths	Annisquam River Eagle Hill River Egypt River Ipswich River Jericho Creek Merrimack River Roger Island River Rowley River Skug River

New Brunswick

Bays	Bay of Fundy Chignecto Bay Cumberland Basin Passamaquoddy Bay Shepody Bay
River mouths	Big Salmon River Quiddy River Saint John River

New Hampshire

River mouths	Blackwater River Hampton River Piscataqua River

Nova Scotia

Bays	Bay of Fundy Annapolis Basin Cobequid Bay Cumberland Basin Minas Basin St. Marys Bay
River mouths	Tusket River

Rivers of Maine by drainage system

Bay of Fundy

Passamaquoddy Bay

Saint John River Watershed

Casco Bay

Fore River Watershed	Fore River Long Creek Stroudwater River South Branch Stroudwater River
Presumpscot River Watershed	Bear River Chute River Crooked River East Branch Piscataqua River Little River Muddy River North Branch Little River Northwest River Piscataqua River Pleasant River Presumpscot River Songo River Sticky River Tenny River
Others	Cousins River Harraseeket River Little River New Meadows River Royal River

Gulf of Maine

Blue Hill Bay (Union River Watershed)	Bog River East Branch Union River Little Bog River Middle Branch Union River Union River West Branch Union River
Chandler Bay	Sandy River
Dennys Bay	Dennys River Hardscrabble River Orange River
Englishman Bay	Chandler River East Branch Chandler River Englishman River
Frenchman Bay	Jordan Stream Skillings River
Harrington Bay	Harrington River Mill River
Little River Watershed	Little River (Drakes Island) Merriland River
Machias Bay (Machias River Watershed)	Crooked River East Machias River Machias River Maine River Middle River West Branch Machias River
Mousam River Watershed	Littlefield River Middle Branch Mousam River Mousam River
Narraguagus Bay (Narraguagus River Watershed)	Little Narraguagus River Narraguagus River Spring River West Branch Narraguagus River (Cherryfield) West Branch Narraguagus River (Hancock County)
Pleasant Bay (Pleasant River Watershed)	Little River Pleasant River West Branch Pleasant River Western Little River
Piscataqua River Watershed	Great Works River Little River Neoutaquet River Piscataqua River Salmon Falls River
Sheepscot River Watershed	Back River Cross River Dyer River Marsh River Sasanoa River Sheepscot River West Branch Sheepscot River
Wohoa Bay	Indian River Southwest Branch Indian River West River
Others	Batson River Benjamin River Cape Neddick River Damariscotta River Johns River Jordan River Josias River Kennebunk River Little River (Boothbay) Little River (Georgetown) Little River (Goosefare Bay) Little River (York) Morse River Ogunquit River Pemaquid River Sprague River Webhannet River York River

Merrymeeting Bay

Androscoggin River Watershed

Kennebec River Watershed

Muscongus Bay

Saint George River Watershed	Back River Dead River East Branch Oyster River Mill River Oyster River Saint George River West Branch Oyster River
Others	Back River (Medomak) Back River (Meduncook) Goose River Medomak River Meduncook River

Penobscot Bay

Penobscot River Watershed

Others

Saco Bay

Saco River Watershed	Charles River Cold River Hancock Brook Kezar River Little Cold River Little Ossipee River Little River Little Saco River Mad River Middle Branch Mad River Old Course Saco River Ossipee River Saco River Shepards River South Branch Mad River South River Tenmile River West Branch Tenmile River
Others	Dunstan River Libby River Nonesuch River Scarborough River Spurwink River

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