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PHOTO: From left, Debbie Veneziano, Clayton Stevens III, Dianna Gram, June Anne Giroux and Skip Giroux, all members of the Stevens family, on the newly named Jotham and Emma Stevens Bridge between Solon and Embden. (Submitted photo)
AUGUSTA — Bridge 2267 in the towns of Embden and Solon has officially been named the Jotham and Emma Stevens Bridge, named after the last ferry tenders that got people across the Kennebec River before a bridge was built in the spot.
The new designation by the Maine Department of Transportation follows passage of a Legislative Resolve sponsored by Rep. John “Jack” Ducharme, R- Madison.
“I was honored to sponsor legislation to name the bridge between Solon and Embden the Jotham and Emma Stevens Bridge,” Ducharme said. “This act by the legislature and Governor highlights the importance of Maine history and how communities are built and sustained over time.”
The Stevens family were the last ferry tenders before the first bridge was built in 1910-11. Ducharme said that family, and others, played a significant role in the area in the early years of settlement.
He thanked local residents Rodney Hatch and Clayton Stevens for approaching him with the idea “and the community support that this legislation received.”
The move was also supported by the select boards on both sides of the Kennebec, the Solon Historical Society, and local historians on the Embden side of the river.
