_____________________________________________________________

Maine Section Engineering Landmark Program

Our Newest Engineering Landmark
 

2011 State Civil Engineering Landmark - Androscoggin Swinging Bridge, Brunswick and Topsham, Maine

The Maine Section ASCE History and Heritage Committee is pleased to announce the dedication of the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge as a State Historic Civil Engineering Landmark 

The bridge was originally designed and constructed in 1892 by John A. Roebling Sons Company from Trenton, New Jersey, under the supervision of Mr. Farrington. (Roebling was the legendary designer of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883)  The abutments were built under the supervision of Brad Cobb and T.W. Given, both of whom appear to be local Brunswick-based contractors  

The Swinging Bridge consists of two steel 30-foot 6-inch towers on concrete abutments with a wooden deck. The deck is suspended on rods hung from the suspension cables between the two towers. The bridge spans about 332 feet between the towers and the total span between the cable anchors is about 520 feet. The suspension cables are 1-7/8-inch in diameter and consist of 7 wires, each with 7 strands. Suspension rods hang vertically from the two main cables with steel beams suspended from the rods. Support timbers and wooden decking complete the 6-foot wide pedestrian walkway. It has survived significant floods in 1901 and 1902, only to have its deck ripped from the support towers and suspension cables in the flood of March 1936.

The 1936 flood is still considered the flood of record in many locations throughout New England and it is reported to have caused over $25 million dollars in property damage in the State of Maine alone. The bridge was reconstructed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration and is still considered an important part of the two communities that it connects.  

As with many bridges and other infrastructure, it has suffered from lack of maintenance and periods of neglect. The original purpose of this bridge was to provide a way for mill workers who lived in Topsham to reach the Cabot Mill and the commercial district which was located on the opposite side of the Androscoggin River in Brunswick. The Cabot Mill, a textile mill, spurred the region’s growth and shifted the economy from agriculture to industry in the mid-1800’s to the mid-twentieth century.   In 1999, a study of the bridge indicated that the remaining life of the bridge was 5 to 10 years and $360,000 was needed for rehabilitation and to extend its life for another 50 years. The “Save Our Swinging Bridge.org” Committee was formed to advocate for saving the bridge and they undertook numerous fundraising events, which, along with grant money provided funding for the rehabilitation project. The restoration project was begun in 2004 and completed in 2006 and the bridge remains a vital link between Brunswick and Topsham, providing cultural, recreational, educational and other benefits for the public.   Description of Bridge     In March 1936 an extreme flood damaged the Swinging Bridge and destroyed the original deck and safety fence. The towers and original cables remained and were apparently reused when the Works Progress Administration rebuilt the structure between 1936 and 1938.

Some additional images:

  

Thomas Hill Standpipe, Bangor Maine. 2008 The Maine Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers presented the Bangor Water District with a plaque recognizing the Thomas Hill Standpipe as a significant state historic civil engineering landmark at Seadogs Restaurant in Bangor on Thursday November 20.  History & Heritage Chair Will Haskell notes “It is exciting to celebrate the historical significance of this structure, which has been a vital component in providing clean, safe and reliable potable water and fire protection for over 110 years.” Built in 1897, the standpipe is a riveted steel tank 75 feet in diameter and 50 feet tall and can store 1.75 million gallons of potable water.   Thomas Hill Standpipe joins sixteen other Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks in Maine.  While the standpipe is similar to many water tanks around the state and the country, Thomas Hill Standpipe is uniquely enclosed by a larger wood structure that is 85 feet in diameter and 110 feet tall.  The wood enclosure is unique and serves multiple purposes. It has protected the steel standpipe from the natural elements and it offers a breathtaking, incomparable, 360-degree observatory of the City of Bangor from the promenade deck and the roof.

The Thomas Hill Standpipe was designed by Ashley B. Tower of Tower and Wallace of Holyoke, MA and built by Major James M. Davis on land owned by the Thomas Brothers. The standpipe is constructed on a stone foundation and consists of large steel plates riveted together. There are 22 steel plates in each circumference of the tank and there are 10 courses of plates to achieve the height of the tank. The tank is topped by a massive three-ton steel drum. This drum is 15 feet tall and 4 feet in diameter. There is a casting fitted to the bottom of the drum that was cast locally at the Bangor Foundry & Machine Company. This drum supports 24 iron trusses that support the promenade deck and the roof structure. The trusses were furnished by the New Jersey Steel & Iron Company, which also supplied the steel plates for the standpipe.

The wooden enclosure sits upon a stone block foundation that is 9 feet high and about 3.5 feet thick. The sill is made up of 2 by 12 pine planks bolted together to a thickness of 14 inches and bent to the circle. There are 24, 12 by 12 pine columns, all 48 feet long supporting the structure. A stairway winds around the inside of the structure and leads to the promenade deck. There is another stairway that leads from the promenade deck to the roof of the structure. In all, 42,000 board feet of pine was used in its construction and about 220,000 cedar shingles protect it from the elements.   At 111 years of age, the standpipe continues to be a significant part of the Bangor Water District’s distribution system, providing storage and pressure regulation to the downtown area. For many years the tower was open to the public and featured seats on the promenade deck for viewing the surrounding area. A contemporary account described the view as follows: Download the Nomination Package

“The view…can give Bangoreans nothing but a feeling of pride at the beauty of our city, every part of which is in plain sight. It invariably strikes the visitor how the city is set down in a basin with mountains and hills on every side.”

Portland Observatory - National Civil Engineering Landmark, 2006 

The Maine Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers is pleased to announce the selection of the Portland Observatory in Portland Maine as a historic National Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The Portland Observatory has played an important role in the history of  Maine and the nation by aiding shipping to and from Portland Harbor. The Portland Observatory has long been the symbol of Portland, Maine, and is a landmark in the truest sense of the word.  The Portland Observatory (1807) is the only extant maritime signal station in the United States, and thus a unique architectural icon of maritime shipping and the “Golden Age of Sail.”

The Portland Observatory was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and has been recommended for National Historic Landmark status.  The "Brown Tower" as it was known due to the color of its’ shingles, is a testament to nineteenth century ingenuity and craftsmanship, not only due to its design, construction, and joinery, but because for almost 200 years it has withstood the violent storms that often lash Maine’s rocky coast.

Click here to review the Portland Observatory nomination package.

National ASCE Civil Engineering Landmarks
Of the 16 Civil Engineering Landmarks dedicated in Maine, ASCE has designated 6 as National Civil Engineering Historic Landmarks. They are as follows, including the year they were designated:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Past Maine ASCE Presidents
Order	First Name	Middle	Last Name	Term
1	Neal	D.	McDowell*
2	Weston	S.	Evans*
3	Hamilton		Gray*
4	Lucius	D.	Barrows*
5	Charles	F.	Parker*
6	Vaughn		Daggett*
7	Horace	A.	Pratt*
8	Bryant	L.	Hopkins*
9	Sylvester	L.	Poor*
10	Edward	C.	Jordan*
11	George	K.	Wadlin*
12	Harold	B.	Bessey*
13	J.	Porter	Hennings*
14	Walter	J.	Verrill	66-67
15	Robert	B.	Hunter	67-68
16	William	R	Gorrill*	68-69
17	William	B.	Pierce*	69-70
18	Theodore	H	Karasopoulos	70-71
19	Elbert	M	Pierce	71-72
20	J.	V.	Weisendanger	72-73
21	Wayne	A.	Hamilton	73-74
22	Stanley	B.	Walker	74-75
23	Melvin	W.	Morgan	75-76
24	Barry	A.	Patrie	76-77
25	Herbert	R	Doten*	77-78
26	Robert	L.	Ballew	78-79
27	Albert	E.	Hodson, III	79-80
28	Westbrook	H.	Spaulding	80-81
29	Dale	L.	Jellison	81-82
30	Lionel	D.	Kelley*	82-83
31	Stephen	W.	Cole	83-84
32	Linwood	E.	Lufkin	84-85
33	C.	Donald	Hamilton	85-86
34	Chet	A.	Rock	86-87
35	Peter	B.	Tubbs	87-88
36	B.	Sharan	Vijay	88-89
37	Thomas	L.	Gorrill	89-90
38	Charles	R	Nickerson	90-91
39	Stephen	J.	Bradstreet	91-92
40	John	G.	Hodgkins	92-93
41	Philip	A.	Dunn	93-94
42	Dana	N.	Humphrey	94-95
43	Carl	V.	Beal	95-96
44	Eric	W.	Cobb*	96-97
45	Calen	B.	Colby	97-98
46	Alan	D.	Fisher	98-99
47	Michael	J.	Moreau	99-2000
48	Janis	L.	Piper	00-01
49	Kalia (Kitty)	L	Breskin	01-02
50	Gregory	A.	Blake	02-03
51	Isabel (Be)	V.	Schonewald	03-04
52	Eric	N.	Landis	04-05
53	Robert	E.	Chaput	05-06
54	Peter	S.	Merfeld	06-07
55	Tim	W.	Merritt	07-08
56	Erik	J	Wiberg	08-09
57	Chris	P	Taylor	09-10
58	Walter	R	Fagerlund	2010-11

* - Deceased

Page created 03/29/2006,  and the Last update on 05/23/2011