The Penobscot County city of Brewer, a service center community of 9,000 residents, is unveiling two public installations this month, serving to honor historic and contemporary legacies.
A monument on the Brewer Riverwalk honors the city’s ice harvesting heritage and the generations of people whose hard work helped shape Brewer’s waterfront.
The new Indian Trail Amphitheater opened July 15 at Indian Trail Park.
Ice history
The city installed a monument honoring the city’s ice harvesting heritage and the generations of people whose work helped shape Brewer’s waterfront.
The monument is on the Brewer Riverwalk, adjacent to the Cool Tones Music Park on the former Getchell Bros. property.
It was commissioned, fully funded and donated to the city by Nichi and Doug Farnham, owners of the former Getchell Bros. site.
The ice industry played a role in the economic development of Brewer and Greater Bangor for more than a century.
The monument’s centerpiece is a four-foot by six-foot bronze bas relief created by Hammond sculptor Glenn Hines. The relief is mounted on natural granite from a local quarry owned by Freshwater Stone in Orland. The granites measures eight feet high by 10 feet wide and weighs nearly 10 tons. The permanent work of public art overlooks the waterfront where generations of Getchell employees harvested, produced and distributed ice.
Along the Penobscot River, the ice industry reached its peak during the latter part of the 19th century. By the 1880s, approximately 20 ice companies operated along the Penobscot River and Kenduskeag Stream, harvesting an average of 300,000 tons of ice annually. Icehouses lined both waterways, making the ice industry one of the region’s defining economic engines.
By 1920, Getchell Bros. was the last remaining ice company operating on the Penobscot. The final natural ice harvest took place in 1954, but Getchell Bros. continued producing and distributing manufactured ice from its Brewer waterfront facility until 2018, when production moved to Bangor, where ice for the region continues to be produced today.
Amphitheater
Indian Trail Park has been home to Ten Bucks Theatre’s Shakespeare Under the Stars series for more than two decades. Audiences gathered with blankets and lawn chairs for the summertime outdoor productions from the park’s hillside.
The new amphitheater, built for $260,000 by Veazie engineering and construction firm Lou Silver Inc., features permanent granite seating overlooking a newly constructed stage, providing a dedicated performance venue. Audiences are encouraged to bring blankets, folding chairs, seat pads and a picnic.
“The Indian Trail Amphitheater represents an investment in the arts, our parks and our community,” said Jenn Morin, Brewer’s mayor.
Ten Bucks Theatre performances have made Indian Trail Park a cultural destination for more than 20 years, noted D’arcy Main-Boyington, the city’s economic development director. The project aims to enhance audience experience and support the performing arts.
