Maine Memory Network

Contributed by Hubbard Free Library

Description

The Hallowell-Chelsea Bridge was constructed in 1860. A group of Hallowell residents formed a corporation to build the bridge to compete with the one in Augusta. A mineral spring had opened at Togus, several miles east of Hallowell, and the businessmen hoped to intercept tourists traveling to Togus. They believed the bridge in Hallowell was a more direct route than crossing the river in Augusta. The bridge saw little use in the ten years of its existence.

An old Hallowell resident once recounted that the main use of the bridge was to deliver coal to Chelsea. The Togus health spa failed and the property became the first veterans hospital in the United States. The floods of 1869 and 1870 destroyed the bridge and all that can be seen today are the remains of the center pier at extremely low tides.

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About This Item

• Title: Hallowell viewed from Chelsea, Hallowell Chelsea Bridge, ca. 1865
• Creation Date: circa 1865
• Subject Date: circa 1865
• Locations:
  • Chelsea, Hallowell, Kennebec County, ME
  • Chelsea, Hallowell, Kennebec County, ME
• Media: Photographic print
• Dimensions: 10 cm x 12 cm
• Local Code: CP001003
• Object Type: Image

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Cross Reference Searches

Standardized Subject Headings

• Springs--Maine--Togus
• Bridges--Maine--Hallowell
• Bridges--Maine--Chelsea
• VA Medical Center (Togus, Me.)
• Health resorts--Maine--Togus
• Kennebec River (Me.)
• Rivers--Maine

Other Keywords

• Center pier
• Coal
• Flood of 1869
• Flood of 1870
• Togus spa

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For more information about this item, contact:

Hubbard Free Library
115 Second Street, Hallowell, ME 04347
(207) 622-6882
Website

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