Wendy's Sign and the Wamesit Neighborhood

Welcome to the first edition of "You ask ... Patch Answers."

We've gotten some interesting questions out of the gate and I'll try to address three of them right away.

Q. Why don't they illuminate the sign outside (Wendy's on Andover Street)  at night?  It remains unlit for at least several years.

Richard Levasseur

A. For this question, we went right to the source and talked to the store manager of Wendy's. She admitted that she actually had not been aware that the sign was not lit at night and thanked our reader for the heads-up. That said, she believes it is a mechanical issue. The sign works on a timer and should be lighting up at the same time each night. In all likelihood, the timer has shorted out.

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Q. What is the relationship of Wamesit to Tewksbury?  I believe I've seen an "Entering Wamesit" town line sign at one point on Rte. 38, I can't recall if it is still there, but the only information I know about Wamesit is that they were the original Indian settlers.

Peter Kazmier

A. The Wamesit were, in fact, the indigenous people to this area, making their home, specifically, along the south bank Merrimack River, below the mouth of the Concord River.

For many years, there was a neighborhood of Tewksbury called Wamesit. It was located in the area around what is now Old Main Street. According to stories written for the Tewksbury Historical Society by Norbert Pestana, this neighborhood was so identifiable that it had its own grocery store, it's own drive-in movie theater and even its own Post Office.

These days, the entrance to the last vestiges of the Wamesit area of Tewksbury is marked by the large statue of a Wamesit Indian that stands on top of a nine-foot tall boulder just off Main Street, in Wamesit Park, near Oscar's Pinata. The statue was crafted in 1989 by Tewksbury's legendary sculptor Mico Kaufman.

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Q. Do they even plan to fix the bridge on Whipple/Brown? Also when? And why hasn't it happened yet? I'm honestly curious, because that seems like kind of a busy road not to bother to fix the bridge.

Sarah

A. This question actually crosses the border, as the bridge itself is in Wilmington, thought it certainly impacts Tewksbury commuters.

At this point there is a plan to fix the bridge, in theory. However, According to several local newspaper accounts, the project is on hold because Wilmington wants to have FEMA flood relief money in hand before they start work on the project. In truth, they admit that could be some months yet.

So, in short, don't expect that bridge to be usable until, in all liklihood, some time in late 2011.

For having their questions used, Peter, Richard and Sarah will have their names entered into our monthly drawing for a restaurant gift certificate.