According to some local history, the Bridge House, located at the center of Boothbay Harbor’s famous Footbridge, was built in 1902 by bridge tender William F. Foster. At that time, my guess is, there was a central section off the footbridge that pivoted open and closed to allow boats to enter the inner harbor. I know that for most of our 50 odd years’ existence here in the area, there was still a central section of the footbridge that was capable of movement. Such is not the case at present.

Ethel Fowler purchased the Bridge House in 1926. She operated an art studio. In 1963, David and Marion Dash purchased the house, ran boat excursions and also a gift shop open to the public during the tourist season. They owned the property almost 30 years which then sold to Larz and Nancy Fitts-Neilsen and was again utilized as a gift shop. They sold the building in 2001 when it became a private “seasonal” residence. Not sure of present status.

I knew the Dashes. They offered to sell some of our postcards. They were also good friends of our good friend and artist, Lonny Sisson. Together, the Dash-Sisson connection collaborated to create an interesting enterprise including art lesson cruises where Lonny would offer painting instruction. At the end of a scenic tour of the region, Lonny’s painting would be auctioned with proceeds shared. It was during this period that the first Windjammer Days idea was born. Lonny, Marion and David worked together to garner interest and promote the festival of ships that has become such a meaningful celebration to this day. Lonny used to share some interesting stories regarding his times with the Dashes. They were very close.

During a recent stroll across the newly renovated/rebuilt Footbridge, our local family (and hyperactive Labradoodle “Leica”) enjoyed an early evening visit. The fog slipped in and out creating a wonderful atmosphere of mostly quiet mixed with occasional interaction. Leica, the pup, loves people and she always gets lots of attention. She is a good conversation starter and children are fascinated by her enthusiasm, not to mention her unkempt erratic hairdo!

We wandered around, exploring the new metal ramp connecting the pier to the new float. At low tide, as seen in the attached photograph, the under bones of the bridge and house were very exposed. It’s quite an array of pilings. Fascinated as I am with reflections, puzzles and design, the image sort of speaks for itself. As an interesting chap recently commented to me, “The universe creates these scenes and you sort of walk into it.” I couldn’t describe our visit to the Footbridge any better than that.

It was fun to see many locals we know out for a leisurely walk. It was also quite interesting to hear many diverse voices, speaking languages unknown. Cell phones in abundance. Sunset skies. Fog enveloping boats. A perfectly lovely adventure. Next stop, eye scream!