Photographs of the Bridges
Two Cent Bridge, Waterville, Maine
The 1903 Two Cent Bridge is a factory bridge crossing the Kennebec River between downtown Waterville, Maine and a paper mill on the north side of the river. Formally named the Ticonic Footbridge, the Two Cent name is more commonly used, and reflects the cost of the toll charged to workers for crossing. The bridge is a small, six foot-wide all-steel suspension bridge, painted black, and with a wood plank deck. Although the bridge has stiffening trusses along its deck, it still swings quite a bit when being crossed. The bridge has impressive views of the swift-flowing Kennebec River, and the dominant sound comes from a waterfall on the river just a few hundred feet downstream of the bridge.
An unusual feature on the northern end of the bridge, surrounding the western leg of the suspension tower, is a red, open-sided hut about 20 feet square. There is no informational plaque describing this structure, but internet research suggests that it is a reconstruction of the original tollbooth. This is unusual because tollbooths are usually found at one end, not actually out on the bridge.
Although the factory on the north side of the river is still operating, the advent of automobile commuting eliminated the use of the footbridge for pedestrian workers by the middle of the twentieth century. In 1960, the bridge was turned over to the City of Waterville, and it has been used as part of the city park and trail systems ever since. The bridge is part of a regional trail system known as the Kennebec Messalonskee Trails. In addition to the parking lot and trail, the downtown entrance of the bridge has been developed into a small, brick-floored plaza. There are benches and a small kiosk for posting community information. Both are decorated with medallions of two Indian Head pennies dated 1903, a symbol of the bridge.
The bridge was discussed as an example of a factory bridge, constructed by a single industrial operation to allow access by workers living on the opposite side of a river, in Chapter 3 of my book, Bridgespotting: A Guide to Bridges that Connect People, Places, and Times.
