In 1890, the Kennebunk River was a busy shipbuilding center, with shipyards, wharves, ship chandlers, and a foundry along both banks, where sheltered locations, wide banks, and deep water at high tide supported the construction and passage of vessels. The drawbridge connected Kennebunkport with Kennebunk Lower Village and opened for ship traffic as local shipwrights and ship captains collaborated to design and build schooners, fishing vessels, clippers, and other commercial sailing ships that carried coal, pine, and cotton around the world and along the coast. Launchings were major community events, and builders such as David Clark, one of the last prolific shipbuilders here, produced many vessels during long careers, including the three-master Golden Ball, launched on July 31, 1890, and the fishing schooner Elsie M. Smith, built in 1882. Within three decades, however, steam engines would make sailing ships obsolete and the drawbridge unnecessary, though the prosperity created by shipping remained visible in the impressive homes of ship captains and builders.