bridgeBy the fall of 1950, Sylvester Francis had taken the last group of passengers across the river from Old Town to Indian Island in his ferry. Soon, a one-lane, steel girder bridge replaced the ferry and a new age had come to the Penobscot community. With the bridge, of course, came change – both positive and negative. By the mid-1980s, the social winds were changing again, and the old green bridge was replaced by a modern two-lane structure.

  • Through this unit, students will be introduced to the unique Indian Island community.
  • Explore the physical and cultural ramifications of being isolated on an island.
  • Learn about the changes that have taken place over time.
  • Discover the links between two towns – Old Town and Indian Island – and two cultures.
  • Understand how bridges link communities metaphorically and socially as well as physically.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bridge Curriculum Unit

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April 7, 1604

French cartographer Samuel de Champlain leaves from France with a French nobleman, Pierre Du Gua De Monts, for Maine. They entered the Bay of Fundy by May, and later Champlain would meet Penobscot Chief Bashabez at the mouth of the Kenduskeag Stream on the Penobscot River.