The footbridge in Boothbay Harbor has long been an attraction to tourists and locals alike. Connecting one side of the harbor to the other, it is well used, for both practical and recreational purposes.

It hadn't changed a lot over the past several years, until four years ago, when the Rowe sisters, Nancy, Susan and Marianne, who own the bowling alley and the land behind it on the harbor, launched a campaign to beautify the entrances on both the west and east sides in honor of their father, Charlie.

The changes, new signs and additions of beautiful flowers and other plants are getting some well-deserved attention with the photo-taking pedestrians crossing the bridge.

The Rowe family has longstanding ties with the footbridge — on both sides. “We lived on the east side and worked on the west side,” Nancy said. “Our mom had the Blue Ship Restaurant (now Harbsorside Tavern), our grandfather owned Rowe's Market, that later became the East Side Market, and the Rowe house, on the east side, is now owned by Marianne.”

And that house is, indeed, a Rowe family house. “The house was owned by our father's family, then sold to our mother's family long before our parents met,” Marianne said.

The Footbridge Enhancement Fund, run through the town of Boothbay Harbor, was started by the Rowe sisters in memory of their father after his death in 2011. “The project just kept getting bigger and bigger, and after doing this (west) side we got more funds to start on the other side,” Nancy said.

Improvements the town has made over the past three years include replacing the old concrete and asphalt walkways leading to the bridge with a sidewalk of cobblestone lookalikes and replacing the chain-link fence on the east side with granite posts and wood fencing.

The Rowes said the landscaping, plantings, east side fence, the sign and the sidewalks were all completed with a week. “It was a joint effort,” Nancy said.

“It has really just been a matter of what needed to be fixed up, then everybody has joined in to help,” Nancy said. So many people in town have helped in the project, the Rowes hesitated to mention them all, lest any were left out.

Margaret Branch and her husband Stephen, who live in the house on the east end of the footbridge, have also made some lovely upgrades along their end of the bridge. They built an attractive wood fence with granite posts and stainless steel fittings along the edge of their property, which borders the path to the bridge. The Footbridge Enhancement Fund group liked the fence so much, it followed suit and built a twin on the other side of the path.

A sign like the one on the west side, made by local sign maker Jeff Brown, and flowers and plants were added, as was a stone bench, donated by someone in memory of his wife. “People sit on it and love it,” Branch said.

“Margaret is the caretaker of the flowers on that side of the footbridge,” Nancy said. “The Branches have been a huge part of the project.”

But Margaret Branch waved off any credit.

She said she and her husband wanted to get rid of the parking lot in front of their house where they had rented out spaces to Squirrel Islanders. “This isn't about us,” she said. “All the credit should go to the Rowe sisters. They did what they did in honor of their dad.

“I think what the Rowes have done is perfect for the town. They've put a lot of thought, energy and planning into it, and they executed it all. It's done, and it cost them a lot of money. They come and weed and take care of all the plants and flowers. They've done a lot for the community. It wasn't pretty over here. Now it's beautiful and people love it.

“Before the footbridge sign was hung on this side, no one ever stopped there. Now people are stopping, taking pictures, and taking notice of the upgrades.”

A committee is looking into redoing the parking lot on the waterfront at the west end of the footbridge. Plans call for some landscaping and building some steps to the water, making improvements and enhancing the area so it doesn't just look like a parking lot. And a small area across from the Rowes’ little building facing their wharf on the west end has been designated as a memorial for their cousin, Mike Lewis, who died this past winter.

Eventually, the town will replace the chain-link fencing along both sides of the footbridge with something “less industrial-looking,” according to the Rowes.

The flowers, plants and shrubs on both ends of the footbridge have flourished. Marianne, who lives in Florida for most of the year, attributes the beautiful lushness to her sisters and the Branches. “They have watered the plants like they're their babies since they were planted. I deserve no credit — I've been in Florida most of the time.”

“Things grow really easily here,” Nancy said. “It's either the salt air or Daddy's spirit.”

The Footbridge Enhancement Fund is still accepting donations to continue the beautification project. They can be dropped off at or mailed to the Boothbay Harbor Town Office at 11 Howard Street.