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MMoA Exhibition: 100 Years of the Mystic River and the Bascule Bridge

October 7 through December 18, 2022
September 26, Mystic, CT—Mystic Museum of Art (MMoA) is pleased to present 100 Years of the Mystic River and the Bascule Bridge. The final exhibition of the MMoA Year of Narrative Art, the exhibition will run from October 7 through December 18. In celebration of the centennial of downtown Mystic’s iconic bridge, the exhibition 100 Years of the Mystic River and the Bascule Bridge focuses on the historic importance of these defining features of the Mystic area, and the fascination they hold for artists. The exhibition will present paintings, prints, etchings, and ephemera from the Museum’s permanent collection augmented by works of art on loan from private collections and partner institutions by artists such as J. Olaf Olson, Y. E. Soderberg, and Garrett Price. Historically, the river’s strategic location (equidistant from Boston and New York), its sheltered anchorages, and its proximity to old-growth forests as a source of lumber, proved ideal for a booming shipbuilding economy. Though the river is less than five miles long, no fewer than five shipyards sprang up along its banks from its head at Whitford Brook in Old Mystic to its mouth in Noank Harbor. The quiet waters of the Mystic River, reflecting the form and colors of the boats along its banks, the bustling activity of the shipyards, and the massive form of the bridge, attracted artists from the US and abroad to form the historic Mystic art colony in the early 20th Century. As transportation evolved from horses and carriages to automobiles and trolley cars, so did the bridge across the river itself. The original simple wooden crossing of 1819 (with its cautionary sign to “Walk Your Horses”) was replaced a century later by the current iron and concrete structure designed by Thomas E. Brown, the engineer of the Otis Elevator Company. When the Mystic River Bascule Bridge opened in 1922, it was the first Brown Bascule Bridge in the country. Today, it is the oldest still in operation. The residents, reporters, and artists who watched the first automobile drive across the river a hundred years ago expressed the hope that it would not only connect the Town of Groton and the Town of Stonington, but “bind them together with a closer community spirit,” which would “lead to future developments little dreamt of a few years ago.”
The bridge serves as the essential link for the business and community life of the area. Without it, there would be no Mystic, which is not after all, a town. It is a census- designated place name applied to the east bank of the river in Stonington and the west bank of the in Groton. In many respects, the bridge is Mystic.
On Tuesday, October 1 at 5:30 p.m., Marilyn Comrie of the Mystic River Historical Society and the co-author of Centennial Celebration of the Mystic Bascule Bridge: A Souvenir Guide will be speaking on the history of the Mystic River Bascule Bridge in the history of Mystic. Admission $10, free for MMoA and Historical Society members. Support for this exhibition has been provided by the Kitchings Family Foundation and CT Humanities (CTH), with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts (CIA) from the Connecticut State Legislature.
About Mystic Museum of Art
The Mystic Museum of Art (MMoA) has served as a focal point for the arts in southeastern Connecticut for more than 100 years. Founded in 1913 as the Mystic Art Association, the museum today engages visitors in richly curated exhibitions, interpretive activities, studio classes, and outreach programs. MMoA’s mission is to inspire creativity and critical dialogue by engaging the regional community in the understanding, appreciation, and practice of visual art.
Image credits:
1. Y. E. Soderberg (1896-1972), Mystic River View, Bascule Bridge, undated, watercolor on paper. Collection of Mary Boland.
2. J. Olaf Olson (1894-1979), Untitled (Mystic River), c. 1950s, watercolor on paper. Collection of Jonathan C. Sproul.
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