Moody Beach, Maine

Moody Beach is a coastal neighborhood and private beach located in Wells, Maine, with about 100 homes adjoining the beach. Moody Beach has a blend of year-round and summer residents, as well as short-term vacationers from around New England and Quebec. The coastline stretches about a mile long, from Ogunquit Beach to Moody Point on Ocean Avenue.

Moody Beach, Maine
Area within New England town
Moody U.S. Post Office
Moody U.S. Post Office
Moody Beach is located in Maine
Moody Beach
Moody Beach
Location within the state of Maine
Coordinates: 43°16′30.31″N 70°35′49.19″W[1]
CountryUnited States
StateMaine
CountyYork
Elevation
46 ft (14 m)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
04054[2]

The area was named in honor of George H. Moody, proprietor of the former landmark corner store on Post Road and Kimball Lane.[3] Moody's post office operated from this location as well, until it was replaced by the current building in 1975. The original structure still stands and is now home to the Wells Chamber of Commerce.[4]

Moody Beach is central in the debate over public access versus private rights to the Maine shore. In March 1989, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court sided with homeowners in Bell v. Town of Wells, also known as the Moody Beach case.[5] The court affirmed that, in Maine, owners of beachfront property or property adjoining tidelands have private property rights to the low-water mark or low tide area, subject only to a public easement for “fishing, fowling, and navigation.” The case is often cited as authority for the notion that the public has only very limited rights in intertidal zone (the area between high and low tide).

Images
  • Withrows on the Beach guest house in 1988
    Withrows on the Beach guest house in 1988
  • Southern boundary of Moody Beach at Ogunquit Beach
    Southern boundary of Moody Beach at Ogunquit Beach

References
  1. "Moody". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. "ZIP Code 04054 Map". zipdatamaps.com. 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  3. "Child rescued from surf at Moody Beach". The Portsmouth Herald. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  4. Shelley, Hope M. (1996). Wells (Images of America). Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 63-64. ISBN 978-0-7385-1265-5.
  5. "Public Shoreline Access in Maine" (PDF). University of Maine Sea Grant College Program and the University of Maine School of Law. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
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