Some 85 years ago, the woman for whom this bridge is named took a job as secretary for the commission that oversaw its construction and, later, its upkeep. During the bridge’s early planning meetings, the 21-year-old took minutes; 50 years later, she retired as the commission’s longest-serving employee. In 1987, 47 years after it was dedicated, the bridge was renamed in her honor. The 2,800-foot span once was Maine’s only vertical-lift bridge — one with a section that rises to allow ships’ passage — with its motors at the top of its towers. But a substantial rebuild, completed a few years ago, changed the bridge’s look and design, allowing taller ships to travel the tidal waters below — which are also spanned less than a mile up- and downstream, giving rise to this bridge’s non-secretarial local nickname.
If you can name this landmark bridge and the river beneath it, submit your answer below. We’ll feature our favorite letter in an upcoming issue — and send the winner a Down East wall calendar.
