A Unity firefighter was killed while trying to rescue a family caught in a flash flood more than 60 years ago may have a bridge named after him.
Sen. Glenn “Chip” Curry, D-Waldo, submitted legislation in 2022 to rename a bridge over Sandy Stream in Unity after Alton “Mac” McCormick. The bridge, then called Bridge 5228, carries Routes 202 and 9 over Sandy Stream. It’s where McCormick, the town’s assistant fire chief, was swept away and drowned on Sept. 11, 1954.
While the stream is usually placid, that was not the case after Hurricane Edna smashed into Maine and New Hampshire in 1954. The storm brought heavy winds and 7.5 inches of rain, which was especially problematic because it was the second big storm in less than two weeks.