Empirical evidence indicates that river proximity in Maine (USA) is a disamenity to residential property owners; a legacy of industrial activities created a significant impetus for damming and intensive commercial management of waterways. As a result, water quality deteriorated, aquatic populations plummeted, recreational fishing quality suffered, and river amenities were lost. With concern over sea-run fisheries and a significant decline of mills, interest in dam removal has piqued. Using home sales data on the Penobscot River in Maine, we estimate marginal willingness to pay (WTP) for river proximity before and after dam removal. The timing of sales encompasses two dam removals. Building upon earlier works, using difference-indifferences and matching methods, we find a negative effect of river proximity, that diminishes in a wake of dam removal, evidently implying improvements in river amenity effects following the removal.