Rich in Heritage

Rich in Heritage. . , A Past of Ports , The Penobscot River has played an important role in the history and development of the Town of Bucksport. This site where you are standing was once occupied by a commercial wharf, one of many along Bucksport's waterfront in the 1800's and early 1900's. Remnants of the wharf's pier supports can be seem at low tide, and evidence of several other wharves can be seen along the shoreline. Just to the right where a tanker dock is now located was once home to a steamship wharf operated by the Eastern' Steamship, Passengers await the arrival of the next steamship ferry. The wharf in the background was located where you are now standing., Ancient Homeland , In 1891, a previously unknown prehistorical burial site was accidentally unearthed during an excavation activity near the shores of the Penobscot River in Bucksport. Workers noticed that the soil they had exposed had an unusual red tint, which was found to be caused by the presence of red ochre, a natural pigment of the mineral hematite. Further digging revealed stone tools and weapons that had been coated with a mixture of crushed hematite and animal oil. Archeologists determined that the site demonstrated a burial tradition practiced by native cultures in North America between 3,000 and 9,500 years ago. Unfortunately, the stone artifacts were removed after they were found and the site was not preserved. Out of respect to the Wabanaki People, it is expected that appropriate protective measures will be taken should any remaining evidence of this sacred burial ground ever be found., Times and Places , Several buildings built generations ago still stand proudly along the streets of Bucksport, spared from devastating fires and the ravages of time. Nine are currently listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Wilson Hall, with its large white bell tower, sits up on the hill directly behind where you are standing and is a prominent landmark on the Bucksport skyline, easily spotted by ships coming into port., The nine buildings listed on the Registry are shown in the above photomontage by Emeric Spooner: (top row) the Elm Street Congregational Church and it's Parish House, Ison Hall, the Buck Memorial Library, (center row) the Duck Cove School, the Bucksport Railroad Station, the Phineas Heyw0ood House, (bottom row) the Brown-Pilsbury Double House, the James Emery House, and the Jed Prouty Tavern and Inn., Crossing Bridges , The bridge seen across the bay may be unique, one of only a few in the world with observatories, but so too was the Waldo Hancock Bridge, which carried vehicles across the river for 75 years before being closed in 2006. The bridge was awarded First Prize in 1931 by the American Institute of Steel Construction, as the Most Beautiful Bridge constructed in the United States. It was the first long-span suspension bridge erected in Maine, as well as the first permanent bridge across the Penobscot River below Bangor. The bridge was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places until its demolition in 2013. The view of the majestic span over the Narrows may be gone, but its impact to the development of this area will never be forgotten., Steamship ferry Boston passing under the Waldo Hancock Bridge., Visit the Buck Memorial Library to learn more about the people and places of Bucksport.