Either the wind or a trailer hitched to a vehicle likely toppled a U.S. Postal Service collection box outside the Wiscasset municipal building March 19, Wiscasset Police Sgt. Kathy Williams said.

The box’s legs had no longer been firmly attached to the box’s platform due to aging, Willliams said March 20. That may have contributed to the box winding up on the ground Thursday night, she said.

Shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday, the Wiscasset Newspaper photographed the box at the municipal building parking lot’s Route 27 entrance; it was lying on its back next to the platform, with the box’s four legs pointed toward the building. Williams said it’s possible that strong winds knocked it over, since the box received no dent or scrapes from a hard collision. But someone may have been backing up a trailer and lightly bumped into the box without realizing it, she said.

The region had been experiencing strong winds March 18 and 19; however, they were easing the night of March 19, meteorologist Eric Sinsabaugh at the National Weather Service’s Gray office said. Wiscasset had wind readings of about 10 mph gusting to 20 mph at about 8 pm., Sinsabaugh said.

The collection box was removed Friday, Williams said; the U.S. Postal Service will be replacing it, she said.