Westport Island History Committee

Description

Maine State Senator Edward Denny (Damariscotta) and his wife prepare to cut the ribbon at the dedication of the Westport Island causeway. Mrs. Denny cut the ribbon, which was stretched across the Wiscasset end of the causeway, to mark the official opening of the bridge.

Pictured left to right are: Lloyd Morton (State Highway Commission Chair), John Swanton Jr., Harry Mosher, Senator Edward Denny, Mrs. Edward Denny, Edwin Cromwell, Dr. Charles DiPerri, and U.S. Congressman Charles Nelson.

Sen. Denny was Chairman of the Westport-Wiscasset Bridge District; Cromwell and Swanton were the Westport members of the Bridge District; and DiPerri and Mosher were the Wiscasset members.

The causeway's toll house is visible in the background at the entrance to Westport Island. For the first five years, vehicles were charged 55 cents one way. The State Highway Commission took over the bridge in 1955, and it became a "free" bridge.

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