In
the News
5/30/2008, The Maine Switch
Circumnambulating
Munjoy Hill – and its views
by Charlie Baldwin
On a bright sunny day, my dog Dauber and
I stand at the railing overlooking the Eastern
Promenade waterfront trail and Portland Harbor
. The bay shimmers silver under the bright
sun and a ferry crosses at double speed in
front of a strong wind. As Portland Trails'
construction foreman I know and enjoy all
of our trails, however the Eastern Promenade
and its vistas are something special.
From this vantage it is easy to see why
folks chose to settle here. Casco Bay's many
islands protect the harbor from worst of
the North Atlantic 's weather and its deep
narrow shipping channels are easily defended,
(though the two formidable stone forts visible
in the harbor were never used in defense
of the city).
The wind mounts the slope of Fort Allen
and pushes us along the promenade, across
the Cutter Street parking lot and onto a
wide dirt trail that cuts across the steep
slope. As we round the bend a different view
comes into focus. I can see Mackworth Island
, Martin's Point, and I can hear Tukey's
Bridge. Below us stands the rusting hulk
of the Atlantic and Saint Lawrence railroad
swing bridge while across the channel, the
B&M plant still churns out their famous
beans.
The bean factory ties together three era's
of the city's transportation history. B&M
was built on the harbor when water was the
way to ship goods. It lies next to the railroad
which helped build the city and make the
B&M brand famous. On the other side of
the factory is Tukey's Bridge, which was
a ferry until 1796 and is now eight lanes
of high speed traffic.
As we turn away from the highway and step
back into the neighborhood it is easy to
forget the fast-paced world all around us.
We follow our whim through the quiet streets
above the Promenade and find ourselves overlooking
a vast western horizon from the Community
Garden on North Street . We follow the footpath
past gardeners working their patches, around
the corner and into the woods, ambling towards
home.
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