Reportedly this is the spot where Whittier was inspired to write one of his most popular poems. It’s not an easy spot to find on Route 91, nor is it any longer a bubbling stream. The water, for a time, was considered polluted by the chemicals used on the nearby fields. We’ve not gotten an update recently, so drinkers beware. The odd pyramid-shaped monument reads:
“She stooped where the cool spring bubbled up, / And filled for him her small tin cup” -- At this spring in the summer of 1885 JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER met the girl who was the inspiration for his poem "MAUD MULLER" -- Erected by Historical Landmarks through the generosity of
J. ARTHUR PARSONS Eliot, Maine
HOURS: 24-7
ADMISSION: Free to see
ADDRESS: Route 91 York, ME 03802
DIRECTIONS: From Portsmouth (I-95 bridge):
Take I-95 N about 6 miles to York exit (last exit before tolls, marked as
Exit 1 on DeLorme map). Turn right and head south on Route 1 about 3/4
mile, York Corners. Turn right onto Route 91 W (South Berwick Road). Travel about 4 miles. Marker is on right.
LINKS:
More Seacoast poems,
Maud Muller (Entire Poem),
