A tourist postcard of the shell middens, or shell heaps, along the Damariscotta River. A byproduct of Native American life from 1,000 to 2,000 years ago, the midden consists of oyster shells and other refuse including tools, ceramics, and bones. Archaeologists use shell middens to understand the everyday lives of Maine's earliest peoples.

The caption reads, "Shell Heaps, Damariscotta River, Newcastle, Maine." The Tichnor Brothers printing company published this type of postcard circa 1930-1945.