Seacoast History Blog #53
July 2, 2009

Sometimes you have to stand back, way-way back, from a great big piece of architecture to see it clearly. Still, we were surprised to read one of the best articles on our endangered Memorial Bridge in a recent issue of the Hartford Courant. If Connecticut can see our bridge from down there, there’s hope that Maine’s Governor John Baldacci can see its value from his office way up in Augusta. Reporter William Morgan had a lot of nice things to say about our beloved bridge, so I asked him why. (Continued below)

Morgan, it turns out, is an architectural historian based in Providence, who knows his way around beautiful structures. In his article "Spanning History" he writes:

"The fate of the bridge is now ‘under study.’ We can invest billions of dollars propping up banks and automobile manufacturers. Yet we flinch when it comes to preserving landmarks — such as this American engineering marvel — that truly contribute meaning and beauty to our way of life."

Riveting and right on! You should read the whole piece, so here is the link to the article itself and to the Hartford Courant.

I found out about the essay from Prof. Richard Candee, also an architectural historian, who has been leading the charge to save the Memorial Bridge. He heard about it from city manager John Bohenko, I believe, who happened to pick up a copy of the paper while in Connecticut.

I asked Morgan via email how he came to praise our bridge. He told me that Tom Condon, the editor of the opinion page of the Hartford Courant is "a big fan of the bridge". Morgan worked at Strawbery Banke during its opening year in 1965 and says he has "always loved Portsmouth."

Morgan initially mentioned Memorial Bridge in a blog where he also referenced North Carolina newspaperman Josephus Daniels, who was also a rabid white supremacist. When the bridge was built – and I did not know this – Daniels was Secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson. According to Wikipedia, Daniels banned the use of alcohol on US Navy ships (In whose honor sailors called coffee "a cup of Joe") and banned prostitution within five miles of naval institutions. This all has nothing to do with our bridge, but there’s a fascinating footnote buried here. Six degrees of separation is often the soul of history writing.

Morgan reminds us in his blog that the Memorial Bridge was initially a joint project between the states of Maine and New Hampshire. Governors of the two states promoted the project and the future of the bridge today depends on the mutual cooperation of two governors again. NH Gov. John Lynch immediately stepped up in favor of restoring the bridge. At this point in the game, the Maine Department of Transportation has tossed the ball to Maine to Governor Baldacci. Preservationists, historians, bicyclists, tourists, pedestrians, seacoast residents, and lovers of beauty and architecture across the nation are now waiting to see if the governor will step up. The bridge links the oldest community in New Hampshire with the oldest community in Maine. That has to mean something, even in these economically parched times.

The Save Our Bridges group recently issued a letter urging all of us to write to Gov. Baldacci to advocate for the bridge, now listed among the Top 11 endangered structures in the USA. I’ll attach that note to the bottom of this blog. Also included here is a photo taken by William Morgan that he says did not appear in the Hartford Courant.

Lines like the following prove that, after years of effort, our message about historic Portsmouth is finally getting out into the national media. Morgan writes: "Portsmouth is a poorer relative of other Colonial capitals such as Newport, Annapolis and Charleston, but New Hampshire's short and turbulent Piscataqua River is as rich historically as any waterway in American history."

That goes double for Kittery, Maine, where we Portsmouth historians get the lion’s share of our maritime history. Hopefully Gov. Baldacci comes to realize that his state begins in Kittery, and our historic bridges are clearly "the gateway to Maine". 　

© 2009 by J. Dennis Robinson. All rights reserved.

FROM SAVE OUR BRIDGES
July 2009

We need your help. We need to reinforce the need for stimulus funding for the immediate repair of the Memorial and the Sarah Mildred Long Bridges. Each of you can write an email to Governor Baldacci in Augusta emphasizing the need for the work, and the strength of our case in competing for funds at the national level.

The key points to make are the following:

1 - The bridges are in a continuing state of disrepair. Just this weekend the load limits on the Long Bridge were reduced due to the corrosion of the roadway supports. The Memorial Bridge did not have any "surprises", but its condition is also degraded.

2 - The Bridge Repair Project fits the Federal DOT stimulus funding criteria like a glove. Here are the criteria and how we think we stack up:

State of Repair - Both bridges are weight limited. The last rating levels were 6% and 12%. That was several years ago, and the ratings will naturally fall over time.

Economic Competitiveness - The Memorial Bridge connects two vibrant communities that depend on one another in many economic ways. The Long bridge is critical to the shipyard which employs more than 4000 people.

Livability: The Memorial Bridge creates a unique ability for pedestrians and cyclists to cross the river, making the two communities desirable places to live and work.

Sustainability: The pedestrian and cycle access means that many people do not have to get into their cars to do shopping, or go to work.

Safety: The repairs will vastly improve the safety to everyone using the bridges.

Job Creation: The job creation going on in the Seacoast will be greatly slowed or stopped if either of the bridges is taken out of service. In fact, it will set back the economy of Kittery by a decade if the Memorial Bridge is lost. New England traditions, like Warren's Lobster House could suffer greatly.

Innovation: The fact that we are using the bridges for pedestrian traffic is assumed for us in the community, but anywhere else in the country would be viewed as innovative.

Partnership: The community (both sides of the river) are behind this project. It is not NIMBY (Not in my backyard). It is PIMBY (Please in my backyard).

3 - Other considerations to take into consideration: Two states would make a more competitive argument for funding than one state. The bridges are essential for emergency vehicles (fire and ambulance). The bridges are used for emergency evacuation plans. The Long bridge supports our national defense (the Naval Shipyard).

4 - If Maine applies for a project that is successful at the National level, it will free up state funds for projects that are critical within Maine, but might not be competitive given the stimulus funding criteria.

PLEASE! Send an email to Governor John Baldacci ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) and to his Chief of Staff, Jane Lincoln ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). Tell them how important their decision is to our community.

You might also remind them that they have more than 800 signatures from the community supporting the project.

Thanks for your help.
Ben Porter
Save Our Bridges!