Androscoggin Bridge, Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, ca. 1920. Courtesy of the Maine Historic Preservation Commisssion.
Androscoggin Bridge, Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, ca. 1920. Courtesy of the Maine Historic Preservation Commisssion.
This bridge crosses the Androscoggin River. Auburn sits on one side, Lewiston on the other. As a dividing line between the cities, the bridge was the site of much conflict during the strike.
Although most of the shoe factories sat in Auburn, Lewiston officials opened their City Hall to mass meetings sometimes drawing 3,000 people.
When 1,000 shoe workers marched across the Androscoggin Bridge on April 21, 1937, police in Auburn pushed the strikers back to Lewiston.