Barbara Rumsey, local historian of the Boothbay Region Historical Society, will speak on the history of the Boothbay Harbor footbridge at the society building, located at 72 Oak Street in Boothbay Harbor. Her talk will take place on Tuesday, June 25, at 5 p.m. This is a change from an earlier posted time of 4 p.m.

One aspect of the talk will be the work being done to the footbridge entrances inspired by the Rowe family connection with the footbridge. After the 2011 death of Charlie Rowe, who ran the bowling alley for many decades, his daughters Sue, Nancy, and Marianne, decided to raise funds to improve the looks of each end in his memory. After describing the Rowe connection, Rumsey will continue with a history of the footbridge's existence since 1901.

The talk will cover the footbridge's construction by early Harbor benefactor Luther Maddocks, the destructive Freeze of 1918, the later rebuildings by Elbridge Giles and Mace Carter, town controversies involving the footbridge, the bridge tenders who provided access to the head of the harbor through the swing section, and the bridge house residents.

After the presentation, attendees are invited to remain, enjoy light refreshments, and chat with Rumsey and others who may have footbridge connections. The program is free to the public and donations are gratefully accepted and appreciated. Seating is limited, so call 207-633-0820 for a reservation or for further information. Those with reserved seats should arrive by 4:45 p.m. The society is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.