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Old Tannery Park and Howland Veterans Memorial
Old Tannery Park: Two Rivers and a Renewed Waterfront
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At Howland's Old Tannery Park and Veterans Memorial, a short walk brings together two rivers and several different kinds of memory. The Piscataquis joins the Penobscot here, giving a town park a setting with significance far beyond its boundaries. Come for a gentle riverside pause, then give the meeting of water, industry and restoration some attention. The park offers a way to think about a working river while enjoying a place made for people to stop.
Rebecca Goldfine's Maine by Foot account describes a route of roughly half a mile, beginning near the west end of King's Bridge. A paved section passes through mown riverside ground with memorials and places to sit. Mowed paths continue toward a bridge over the fish bypass, reaching a small island with dam and river views. Her description gives walkers a useful sense of progression: a civic space opens into a closer encounter with the water. Confirm present trail conditions before following the full route.
The name Old Tannery Park carries an industrial history into that public setting. Howland's August 2019 selectmen's minutes record unanimous agreement on the wording for a park sign. The discussion also referred to the former tannery's demolition and the difficulty of recovering its bricks. Those details make the name more than an attractive label. A visitor may see a riverfront landscape, while the town's records preserve decisions about remembering a previous use of the land. The minutes also show improvements being weighed against the practical limits of municipal finances.
The nearby fish passage has a very different form of engineering behind it. Kleinschmidt, part of the design team, describes a nature-like channel approximately a thousand feet long, curving broadly around the dam. Its design combines a lower-flow channel with space intended to accommodate higher flows. The work also involved riparian planting and shoreline stabilization. Knowing this can change the way a visitor looks at the bypass: a stream-like appearance can be the result of considerable planning, with the movement of water central to the design.
Maine's Department of Marine Resources celebrated the bypass in June 2016 as part of the Penobscot River Restoration Project. The goal was to improve movement for sea-run fish, including American shad, river herring and Atlantic salmon, while maintaining hydropower generation elsewhere in the watershed. A partner account from the Natural Resources Council of Maine placed the work beside the town's reclaimed tannery site and revitalized public park. Together, the river project and the park suggest different ways that an old industrial waterfront can acquire a renewed public purpose.
An original visit by fishing blogger Stan adds a reminder of the river's changing character. During his July 2021 outing, recent rainfall had produced strong current at the launch, making retrieval more demanding than arrival. His account belongs to that particular day, but it makes a useful distinction for visitors: enjoying the park from land and launching a boat require different preparation. A walk can remain the entire outing, with no need to enter the water to appreciate the confluence.
Let the memorials and the moving river share the visit. A wide photograph can connect the park with the surrounding water, while a closer view can concentrate on the meeting of channel and river from a secure public position. Leave time simply to sit. Howland's small waterfront stop becomes richer when its local history and restoration work accompany the view.
Fun facts
- Howland selectmen agreed on the Old Tannery Park sign wording in August 2019.
- The nature-like fish bypass curves broadly around the dam.
Before you go
- Confirm current walking conditions and public parking before following the full riverside route.
- Stay on public paths and bridges, keeping clear of water-control structures.
- Treat a boat launch as a separate outing requiring suitable river knowledge and equipment.
- Keep memorial areas quiet and leave space for other visitors.
Visitor perspectives
- Rebecca Goldfine describes a short riverside walk progressing from the memorial area toward a bridge over the fish bypass and a small island with river views.
- Stan enjoyed the river setting but found the launch current strong after recent rain, with retrieval more challenging than putting the boat in.
Capture
- Connect the park and its river setting in a wide view from a secure public position.
- Photograph the bypass from the path or bridge without approaching the water’s edge.
Social
Two rivers give Howland’s waterfront a distinctive setting.
Old Tannery Park preserves an industrial memory in its name.
Town records trace a decision to carry that name forward.
A short walk links civic remembrance with river views.
The bypass combines stream-like form with deliberate engineering.
Its lower-flow channel sits within a broader design for changing water.
River restoration and a reclaimed town site meet here.
A pause on land can be a complete Howland outing.
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