BIDDEFORD — One of the most expansive, unspoiled parcels on the New England seaboard is located on the edge of Biddeford. Timber Point, including Timber Point Island, is a 157-acre property that contains rocky coastline, wild forest and meadows, and is home to nesting shorebirds, foxes, deer and a host of other wildlife.

Thanks to the efforts of several conservation organizations, funds were raised through a public/private partnership and the property was purchased for $5.125 million by the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge from private owners in December 2011.

The land is preserved as wildlife habitat that can be enjoyed by the general public and will be maintained for future generations.

In addition to its value as a wildlife refuge, the parcel is also home to a unique historic cottage and outbuildings built in the 1930s. Some would like to see that these structures are also preserved for the future and accessible to the public.

Josephine Power said she hopes to repurpose the cottage and surrounding buildings, located at the edge of the peninsula, as a small meeting and retreat center.

She intends to begin a community conversation for what she is calling the Timber Point Center, to see if others share her vision. Power said she envisions the center as a haven from the fast-paced lifestyle of the 21st century and an opportunity for visitors to learn about community sustainibility and environmental stewardship.

The center would inspire people to become part of a “conservation constituency,” she said, which according to “Conserving the Future,” a publication of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is a goal of the refuge system.

The proposed center would be self-sustaining, which would be an appropriate way to reuse and thus retain the buildings, she said. The buildings are worth preserving because they are “steeped in history,” said Power.

The refuge purchased the 100-plus-acre property from the descendants of Charles and Louis Parsons Ewing. That couple purchased it in 1929 from Charles and Lucie Wicks. The Wicks had purchased the property in 1912 from the Curtis family, who purchased the land from American Indians, said Power.

Throughout that time, the land has been preserved with very few buildings constructed there. The existing cottage, which overlooks the craggy coastline, was designed by Charles Ewing, who was a master architect, shortly after the purchase. It was competed in 1930, said Power.

The architecture of the building is another reason preservation of the cottage is important, said Power.

In a letter to a Ewing family member, architectural historian Richard Chafee wrote, “I can think of no other building where outside comes in like this. ”¦ the house seems to intensify the site, the place where it is.”

The social and cultural history of the building is also important, said Power.

She said the Ewings were part of an important social and intellectual scene, and they entertained important literary and artistic friends at Timber Point, like artist and illustrator Rockwell Kent and authors Kenneth Roberts, Booth Tarkington and Margaret Deland.

Despite Power’s proposal, there is no clear indication of what will happen to the house and other buildings, said Maine Preservation Executive Director Greg Paxton.

He said he hopes they can be preserved ”“ the cottage was listed on the organization’s most endangered historic resources list last year ”“ and he thinks Power’s proposal is interesting.

Because of the rich history, the buildings are deemed eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, by both the federal wildlife service and the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, said Kirk Mohney, the commission’s assistant director.

Although the buildings are not currently on the register, nomination papers are in the works, he said.

However, the USFWS has not committed to preserving the buildings, nor what their use would be if preserved.

“Wildlife comes first,” said Rachel Carson Refuge Manager Ward Feurt, and the main focus of the refuge is “managing this extraordinary parcel.”

“We’re looking at a bunch of different offers” regarding the buildings, he said, and emphasized that the USFWS has not endorsed Power’s proposal.

The USFWS is conducting an assessment of the buildings, which is the appropriate step, said Mohney. He said he hopes in the short term it will make the necessary repairs to maintain the cottage and other buildings in case the refuge decides to preserve them.

To learn more about the proposed Timber Point Center, visit the website, timberpointcenter.com.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or [email protected].