Contributed by Westport Island History Committee
Description
About 100 invited guests from the dedication ceremony for the official opening of the Westport causeway on June 25, 1950 attended a shore dinner at the historic Westport Island Town Hall. The Town Hall was originally built as a church around 1790. The Town Hall has served as Westport's polling place and civic function hall since the town purchased it in 1885.
The opening of the new causeway that connected Westport Island with the Wiscasset mainland was cause for celebration at a time when Westport's population numbered less than 200 people. In the late 1800s, Westport's population hovered around 800 when it was a prosperous player in the area's seafaring industry.
The loss of an old wooden bridge to the mainland in 1893 made the island less adaptive to changing industries and times. The bridge loss was often cited as a contributing factor in the population decline. The island relied on a cable ferry that could only carry up to two cars at a time -- discouraging new business on the island as well as many year round residents who relied on off-island employment.
About This Item
- Title: Dinner for Dedication of Westport causeway, Westport Island, 1950
- Creation Date: 1950-06-25
- Subject Date: 1950-06-25
-
Locations:
- Westport Island, Lincoln County, ME
- Wiscasset, Lincoln County, ME
- Media: Photographic print
- Dimensions: 20.2 cm x 25.5 cm
- Local Code: CromEdw.Photo.19.1950
- Collection: Edwin Cromwell Family Collection
- Object Type: Image
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- Causeways--Maine--Wiscasset
- Westport Island (Me.)
- Causeways--Maine--Westport Island
- Bridges--Maine--Westport Island
- Bridges--Maine--Wiscasset
- Dedications--Maine--Westport Island
- Dedications--Maine--Wiscasset
Other Keywords
- Bridges
- Causeways
- Dedications
- Economics
- historic landmarks
- Island life
- Isolation
- Town halls
- Transportation
For more information about this item, contact:
Westport Island History Committee6 Fowles Point Road, Westport Island, ME 04578
(207) 882-8477
Website
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. No Permission is required to use the low-resolution watermarked image for educational use, or as allowed by the applicable copyright. For all other uses, permission is required.
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