Past Passage: A Penny Payable Path

Nicknamed the Two Cent Bridge for the cost of the toll, the historic Ticonic Footbridge was incredibly important, making the walk to work faster for mill workers on both sides of the Kennebec River. We will talk about Hollingsworth & Whitney paper mill on the Winslow side of the Kennebec River and Wyandotte Worsted on the Waterville side. Of course, we will also talk about our historic treasure, the footbridge itself; given as a gift to the City of Waterville by the Ticonic Footbridge Company in its later life when foot traffic subsided. Historic photos will also be available to see, so people can get a feel for how the area looked in the early 1900s and beyond.

We will do a short and lightly sloped walk from the convergence of the parking areas off Front Street, Waterville, down to RiverWalk Park at Head of Falls. Wear sunscreen and/or a hat as the shade trees are still young. It may still be cool with the wind off the river. This will be a gently sloped walk with stairs or a paver lined path leading to the flat areas near the riverside where we can get views of the full area. Currently there is a smooth decking on the footbridge which allows wheelchair access. Attendees may choose to continue on afterwards and walk the out-and-back approximately 1.5 mile trail along the river. (Kennebec Messalonskee Trails kmtrails.info)