Le Petit Pont Footbridge Connects French-Canadian Workers with Work, Home & School - Topsham, ME
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 43° 55.086 W 069° 58.418
19T E 421832 N 4863237
The Androscoggin Bridge, a swinging suspension bridge over the Androscoggin River, connected people from their homes in Topsham to mills and churches in Brunswick.
Waymark Code: WMPYG8
Location: Maine, United States
Date Posted: 11/10/2015
Views: 3
In Topsham, on the north side of the Androscoggin Bridge, is this historical sign about the bridge.
The sign is located in a small open space area by Bridge Street. It is angled but the orientation is such that you face the houses to the northwest as you read the sign.
The sign has the following text:
"Le Petit Footbridge Connects French-Canadian Workers wtih Work, Home & School
'French Quarter' community spans the river
An estimated 1 million French-speaking Canadians relocated to the U.S. between 1840 and 1930. In census figures for Brunswick, French speakers accounted for 40% of the population in the early 1900s. Recruited by Cabot Mill, many of these French-Canadians lived in worker housing here in Topsham Heights but crossed the river on the "swinging bridge" to work and to attend the Catholic church and school in Brunswick."
And:
"1892 Swinging Bridge helped Cabot Mill workers cross to homes in Topsham Heights neighborhood. The same firm that designed and built the Brooklyn Bridge, John A. Roebling's Sons Company, constructed le petit pont. Over time, steel replaced its original timber-framed towers. Partially destroyed by flood in 1936, the Works Progress Administration rebuilt its superstructure. A later renovation was completed in 2006."
There is a background picture of people in a mill room. There are other insets with captions.
I do not know when it was installed. However, the face is in such good shape, that I feel that it was installed within the past year.
Address and /or location:
Bridge Street, by Androscoggin Bridge
Who put it there (Sponsor): Androscoggin Brunswick-Topsham Riverwalk Advisory Committee
Date (Erected or Dediated): 1/1/2015
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Visit Instructions:
1) A new photo taken by you. Make it a quality one. You do not have to be in it, nor your hand held.
2) Some new insight to the history, and/or your personal experience finding the site.
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