An earlier Pathe newsreel from 1922 shows the final 300 foot center span of the bridge being ferried into position for assembly.

Bystanders watch the 800 ton roadway hoisted into place. It has been raised and lower up to 20 times in an hour shift consistently since 1923. Locals celebrated the bridge's 75th birthday in August 1998 as part of the 375th celebration of local history.

Title on Pathe News reel film, a British company. In its heyday, Pathe weekly news images reached 3.5 million viewers in 1,500 theaters during the silent film era.

According to her vivid memory today at 80, this was a new melon-colored dress she wore to the event. Young Eileen did not know until the last moment that she would become the center of attention at an event attended by 5,000 people.

A reluctant-looking future mayor Eileen Foley poses with Gov. Brown of NH and Governor Baxter of Maine for newsreel crews. Inset shows Eileen Foley today, Portsmouth mayor for 16 years. Photo courtesy NH.com.

Before the official opening, both NH and ME governors, with five-year old Eileen Dondero and Pathe News film crews took a ride 150 feet above the Piscataqua River.

VIEW EARLY POSTCARD

2 PHOTOS OF DEDICATION
75 YEARS APART

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All photos from Pathe News, 1922, 1923
Images courtesy of Portsmouth Public Library.
Frame grabs from video copy
courtesy JBC Communications of Exeter, NH
and provided exclusively by SeacoastNH.com.

Text and design ©1998 SeacoastNH.com