History of the Atkinson/Sebec bridge

By Shirley Wright

The Atkinson/Sebec bridge plays a part in local history beginning just before 1800. Early settlers to this region had to pass through by crossing rivers and lakes or using them to travel. By 1800 there were enough people and there was enough need to put a bridge over the river.

Early bridges in uncharted territory like ours were built roughly, in a way that would allow a horse and buggy to cross at favorable times of the year. The first bridge was probably made of fresh-cut trees and banded together and posted on the bottom to allow passage. These bridges were not always stable and at some point in the early 1800s, this bridge was swept away by a flood.

After the first bridge was washed away those living in the area, and there were quite a few, decided to erect a covered bridge in 1859. This bridge was 200 feet long and 15 feet wide. Covered bridges were used first to be more stable and second to cover the wood on the actual bridge from the weather. Covered bridges were harder to maintain and after many years were also subject to decay.

By 1931 the covered bridge was replaced by the more modern-style bridge that is on this site now. Over the years, the bridge has been upgraded and was last widened in 2014. Today’s bridge is a nice one yet is still subject to flooding in the fall and spring if water levels are higher than usual. Those in this area know what it’s like to be without a bridge as the area has flooded more than once in recent history. The land here is low, and with the river winding right through, it is a prime place for a flood.

The area around the bridge, on the Sebec side, was known as Sebec Station. The first reported settler of Sebec, Ezekiel Chase, located his house on the Piscataquis River on this side of town. A settlement built around him, and the Chase family became a prominent family at Sebec Station.

In 1869 the railroad extended from Derby, through Sebec Station, and went on to Greenville. A train station and post office were set up near the crossing. Because of this the station became a central area for Sebec, as the mail was delivered twice daily along with goods and commodities. Mail was run from the station by stagecoach to other parts of the town.

The first store opened in the area around 1820 and was run by Nathaniel Bradbury, who was also the first postmaster in Sebec. By 1840 Abijah Chase opened a store that became known as Chase’s Corner Store near the bridge. Reportedly this store had everything a person could want. It was a large store for the time, set up to serve a busy area with the trains going through.

This store was still running in 1912 when Stacy Lanpher delivered his speech at the 100th birthday of Sebec celebration. In his speech he makes note of A.J. Chase, who was then running the store and calls him the oldest, most respected citizen in Sebec. Chase became a Maine legislator and senator as well. The area also housed A.M. Robinson’s law offices from 1844-54.

In the early 1900s the station was still booming. There were two large potato houses, large farms, sawmills, the large store, a school (a little further down the road), the railroad station and post office. In 1904, telephone poles and wires were run through Atkinson and into the station and other parts of Sebec. It was noted on April 25, 1907 that the Ladd Brothers were buying and shipping potatoes at 35 cents a bushel. In 1925 Jeannette Livermore was the teacher at the area school.

Across the river in Atkinson, land here was first sold to Vaughn and Merrick for 25 cents an acre. One of the big purchasers of land was Judge Atkinson and the other was Oliver Crosby, both of New Hampshire. In 1807 the land was sold 100 acres at a time until the whole township was purchased. As the land sold, businesses entered near Alder Stream. There was a mill site there by the water where the Concord family added a sawmill and grist mill. These mills ran through the 1800s. Near the later 1800s, a shingle mill began operation as well.

The first settlement on the Atkinson side of the bridge was built by Bylie Lyford. By 1804 he brought his family to live on the banks of the Piscataquis River. Atkinson was important in the passage of travelers from Sebec, Milo and Brownville to Bangor and beyond. The road there was developed quite early in the history of the region.

By 1810 Atkinson had 169 residents, more than any other location along the river. In 1819 Atkinson was incorporated as a town and was named after Judge Atkinson. One very prominent Atkinson citizen was Dr. E. W. Snow, who was also town clerk and later judge of probate.

Oliver Crosby operated a 700-acre farm in Atkinson in the early 1800s. He was by trade a lawyer who did not practice after he moved to Atkinson. His two sons also became lawyers in nearby towns. There were two stores in Atkinson — one near the mills owned by Samuel Clark and the other at the corner owned by J. C. Brown.

Today a store still stands at Atkinson corner. In the 1900s there were several potato farms that ran well into the later 1900s. Some of the later farmhouses built in the town are still standing.

The Sebec Station area was largely destroyed by fire. As noted in “The History of Sebec” by Shirley Wright, Rex Varnum, witnessed the fire. He said, “Three separate fires destroyed Sebec Station. In 1940, Bill Chase Sr’s house was burned to the ground. I remember this since I was over in Atkinson at the creamery at the time. I can still see the smoke and flames going up into the sky.” Varnum also noted that homes were also destroyed by flooding and his theory was that these homes were built too close to the water.

Sebec Station was never rebuilt. After the fires, the train was replaced by the automobile and faster ways of transporting goods became the norm. Families that had established in the station found higher ground in nearby towns. Varnum Farms became the business of note after 1960 and ran that business for many years, planting many of the fields with corn. Even now, the land is kept as farmland by other families.

The Atkinson farming business has now changed quite a bit; many residents work in nearby towns. The bustling area is now more peaceful, and the bridge overlooking the Piscataquis River is beautiful on a sunny morning in any season of the year.

Naming the bridge for Capt. John “Jay” Brainard will add another chapter to the rich history of this area. The symbolic representation of this ceremony is fitting. As the bridge once formed a union of towns and helped settlers make their way to larger cities like Bangor and beyond, it seems fitting that the bridge will be named for a young man who dedicated his life to making bridges of peace for our country.

Capt. Brainard’s story will be added to this area so that each time one of us drives by, we can remember the history of the area and the history of a man who loved the area. It will be fitting to think of Capt. Brainard when we pass over the bridge and remember the ultimate sacrifice that he gave each of us so that we could live in peace.

Historical facts of the bridge by Bill Sawtell