Archers Beach is a fictional seacoast resort in southern Maine. It takes the greater part of its geography and much of its history from the non-fictional town of Old Orchard Beach. I’ve also borrowed portions of Kinney Shores, a neighborhood just outside of Old Orchard Beach, and the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge.
Why, you ask, did I settle on Archers Beach as a name for Kate’s hometown?
As it happens, there’s a story there.
When I first came to Central Maine, I missed the ocean something bad. I was, indeed, going on at Some Length about this to a co-worker, who, doubtless Very Tired of hearing me kvetch, said, “Why don’t you go down to Ole Archer’s Beach, then?”
Now, mind you, I was just in from the south, and my ear wasn’t yet tuned to the Maine accent.
“Ole Archer’s Beach,” I said. “I will — thank you!”
And the first thing I did when I got home that night was to break out the DeLorme and pore over the coastline, looking for Ole Archer’s Beach.
No, I won’t tell you how long I sat there, reading teensy little print, going up and down past Wells and Portland and Kittery and Old Orchard Beach, and York Beach and Goose Rocks. . .before the penny dropped.