LISBON

The landscape of Lisbon Falls looks different today than it did only months ago. The demolition of the last surviving section of the Worumbo Mill and, more recently, the replacement of the green steel truss bridge that connected the town with Durham have changed the face of the neighborhood.

While those landmarks may be gone, the town is looking to the future. This spring will see the advent of a streetscape project, which will include planting trees, green space, new sidewalks and a pedestrian crosswalk with flashing lights across Route 196.

Lisbon Economic and Community Development Director Tracey Steuber said the town also has a $150,000 facade grant for businesses. The second round of applications will start in January. Businesses would be required to front the money for the project, and then get reimbursed after it’s done. The reimbursements can range from $2,500 to $20,000. While the grant focuses primarily in the downtown area, other properties in town may qualify so businesses should check with Steuber if interested.

The town also received a $200,000 Brownfield Grant. This money can be used to environmentally assess property and then address issues. Steuber is also looking into a Downtown Tax Increment Financing district for the town.

“A lot of things are happening,” she said. “I think in the next year, especially along the Route 196 corridor, that’s when you’re really going to start to see things take shape.”

Bridging the past

The Lisbon-Durham truss bridge was constructed in 1936 several hundred feet from the former Worumbo Mill where a wood bridge first opened in 1818, replaced by a double iron trestle bridge in 1895 that was washed away by the great flood of 1936. Spanning the Androscoggin River, the green steel bridge opened to traffic in 1937. The bridge had only 22-foot clear roadway width and restricted the height of trucks due to the overhead frames of the truss.

A new, $6 million bridge opened in July that consists of two 11-foot lanes with 5- foot shoulders and a 5-foot sidewalk along the upstream side of the bridge. The new crossing, built by Wyman and Simpson, improves sight distance for motorists. A $2 million road project to stabilize Route 9 was also completed as part of the project.

The 80-year-old steel bridge was gone by Nov. 10. Earl Williams of the Lisbon Historical Society captured photos of the process and said one day it was there and one day it wasn’t.

“I’m surprised at how many people said they’re happy it’s gone,” he said. “It had deteriorated so bad that it was down to one lane and no big trucks could go across it. It was an eyesore and it was time to go.”

Another, more symbolic gateway to Lisbon Falls was the Worumbo Mill.

The Worumbo Manufacturing Co. was born in 1864, incorporated by Oliver Moses, Edward Plummer and John Tebbets. The sprawling mill complex was located along the Androscoggin River where it harnessed the water power of the Ten- Mile Falls.

In 1920, a white cement structure was added to the northwestern end of the red brick complex, according to the Lisbon Historical Society, which housed a weaving room, spinning room, broiler house and dye house.

Worumbo was at its zenith in World War II, where its reputation for fine, wool cloth earned government contracts to make pea coats for the Navy. The mill operated around the clock to fill those orders.

In 1956, the mill was sold to J.P. Stevens Company, but soon the New England textile industry was suffering big losses. The company announced the mill, the town’s largest employer with 600 people on the payroll, was closing in 1964. It became the property of Lisbon Weaving Corp. in 1965 and was vacant by the time Herbert A. Miller of Max Miller Industries purchased it in 1967.

The mill burned in a massive fire on July 23, 1987, drawing fire departments from 23 towns. Most of the mill was lost, save for the 1920s concrete addition, which stood for three more decades.

Miller Industries and the town tried to find a buyer to redevelop the remaining building, vacant for nearly a decade. The effort proved fruitless and the building fell into disrepair. Subject to break-ins, the building was demolished over the summer.

Not quite the end of an era

In addition to the loss of the mill and the bridge, another Lisbon Falls landmark closed this year: the 1913 Kennebec Fruit Co. Also known as the “Moxie store,” the shop at the corner of Main and Lisbon streets overlooked the former mill. However, this year the building was put up for sale, and about a century’s worth of Moxie memorabilia was auctioned off over the summer.

Despite all these changes, Steuber said she doesn’t see the end of an era in Lisbon Falls, a community whose quaintness remains intact.

“I look at it as being the beginning of the future when you look at that area. We are always going to have those memories, and those memories are good to have, but it’s now paving the way for what’s to come.”

Community members have been upset that the Worumbo Mill came down, remembering their parents and grandparents who worked there, and all of the mill stories.

“But when you look at it and the view of the river and what it does to that whole area, it is amazing,” she said.

dmoore@timesrecord.com