$3,900,000

A bit of history.... On March 21, 1969 the Maine Times headline read; 'A Yankee David Faces the Oil Goliaths'. Point of Main Peninsula, coveted by Occidental Oil Corp. for a planned refinery and owned by Bruce Sprague, comprised 207.6 pristine acres and over a mile of raw coastline. The decade long battle began at Bruce's kitchen table where he refused an offer to sell Point of Main for $20k. Later he turned down an offer of $250k (about $2 million in today's dollars). Bruce fought to keep his land, both in and out of court, through threats of eminent domain, and through great personal and financial strife. The final offer for Point of Main came on a Friday. Bruce was met by a group of businessmen. Before he even sat down, one of the men pushed a blank check across the table saying, 'Mr. Sprague, you fill out this check for any amount you want'. Without a word Bruce looked at the check, tore it up, threw the pieces to the floor, and walked out. Instead of becoming a landscape of oil tanks, asphalt and chain link fence, Point of Main was put under easement to protect against future development. Bruce and his wife Almeda lived by the rhythm of the tides for 40 years. The pastures supported a small herd of cattle and later sheep. The extensive forest, a blueberry field, and the shoreline of cliffs, sand and cobble beaches, offered and continue to offer a haven for both people and an abundance of wildlife. A few years before Bruce died he stood at the kitchen windows which frame the Atlantic from east to west. He turned and said 'They just couldn't understand this view is worth more to me than any amount of money'.