Jesse Leach France was an American artist during the period of 1883 to 1935. In his biography, written by Walter D. France, his grandson, in 1999 and published in the journal, My Country, the initial France family relationship to Higgins Beach is described as follows:

“In 1902 Jesse and his wife Eurilda purchased land on the cliffs of Higgins Beach, Scarboro, Maine. They built a summer home and studio, and Jesse started painting his beloved marine paintings. The Maine coast and in particular Higgins Beach gave him views of the ocean surf pounding at the rocks in all types of weather, stormy and clear. Many of his paintings and photographs capture the moments that most appealed to him.”

Amongst Jesse’s photographs in the family collection is the following original, brownish print with the notation “Waves at France Cliff, Higgins Beach, 1904.”