Quick History Stops in York, ME
On the same day I visited Old York Historical Society and Sayward-Wheeler House, I stopped in a few other places throughout York, Maine, including a historical marker, a little bridge, a big bridge, and a nature preserve. All of these stops are free and open to the public.
Raid on York Marker
A stone marker across from the museum center of the Old York Historical Society commemorates the Raid on York, called the Candlemas Massacre on the marker. This event, which took place in 1692, was part of King William’s War, a series of battles so little talked about that I had not heard of them before reading the stone. Part of the confusion stems from the multiple names of the war. When Dutch Protestant King William III and Queen Mary II took the English throne in 1688, they immediately began a war with Catholic France and King Louis XIV, giving the war its name. In New England, the war was sometimes called Father Baudoin’s War after French missionary to Acadia Jean Baudoin, or Castin’s War for French military officer and ally to the Wabanaki Jean-Vincent d’Abbadie de Saint-Castin.
The raid received its name from the feast of Candlemas, which takes places forty days after Christmas in the Catholic and Anglican traditions or February 3. However, at the time of the raid, the calendar system was in the process of changing from the Julian Calendar (named for Roman Emperor Julius Caesar) to the Gregorian Calendar (named for Pope Gregory XIII). In the modern system, the raid took place on January 24, 1692. Regardless of the date, local Abanaki were goaded by the French into attacking the town, killing a number of civilians, and marching the survivors as prisoners of war to French Canada. The language of the marker demonstrates a common style of historical interpretation before the study of Vast Early America, or including all cultures and perspectives into the colonial narrative, became a prevalent method of researching and teaching history.
Wiggly Bridge
Similar to the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge connecting Brunswick, Maine to Topsham, Maine, the Wiggly Bridge is a small pedestrian suspension bridge connecting two parts of York, allowing easy walking between Sayward-Wheeler House and Steedman Woods Nature Preserve. Featured in Atlas Obscura as a possible contender for smallest suspension bridge in the world, the little green bridge is a bouncy trip. Keep this in mind if you are trying to walk with small children or dogs, as they may become frightened or fall over, which I witnessed on my walk.
Steedman Woods Nature Preserve
Since 1978, this small wooded area provide a great opportunity for short, family hikes and dog walking. Steedman Woods Nature Preserve was donated by its namesake, C. Richard Steedman, a community focused York resident. A quick websearch revealed that Steedman was the foreman of the Volunteer Veteran Firemen’s Association and published The Fireman’s Songbook in 1957. He was also a founder of the Agamenticus Yacht Club of York Harbor, Maine, which began in September 1937. Today, the property is owned by Old York Historical Society and maintained by the Friends of Steedman Woods.
Sarah Mildred Long Bridge
While the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge is in neighboring Kittery, Maine and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, this is the best way to get to York, so I am counting it as a quick history stop. This bridge is new, just opened in 2018, replacing a bridge constructed in 1940 and closed in 2016. This bridge was also named in honor of Sarah Mildred Long, a lifelong Portsmouth resident and employee of the Maine-New Hampshire Interstate Bridge Authority as a gift for her 50th work anniversary. What amazing dedication! I love the design of the new bridge, especially the four pillars that look like rockets. These allow the center of the bridge to move up and down to let ships through. Engineers love this bridge, too, as its design company, Hardesty & Hanover and Figg Bridge Engineers, won the “Overall Winner Award” for New Hampshire from the American Council of Engineering Companies, and one of sixteen Grand Awards at the ACEC 2019 Engineering Excellence Awards Gala.
