Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1903-08-14
GOOD-BY, OLD BRIDGE.
A Chapter Of Local Bridge and
Ferry History.
Historically the Old Bridge Dated
Back to 1904, and Had Been Re-
built Five Times.

The timbers in the old IIlnsdae bridge,
which was removed from its foundation
last Friday, were entirely cleared away
Saturday ana Monday. Some of them
will be used in the false work during the
construction of the new steel bridge
The old timhers were found to be badly
decaXed, and the contractors for the new
bridge say it is Il wonder that the bridge
had stood up under the heavy loads
which have been put upon it by the
bridge men. 1t was sustained entirely
by the wooden arches. The stone is all
out for the ahutment at the west end
and the structural steel was completed
several weeks ago. 1t is now being load
ed for shipment from Elmira, n. Y.
Work on the abutment will be pushed as
rapidly as possible, as well as upon the
temporary work on which the new bridge
will be erected. The placing of the steel
is expected to begin in course of a
month. No date is fixed at which the
bridge will probably be done, but the
time will not be less than two months.
j. II. Hon, the vice president of the com
panN is in charge of the construction.
MIR. Iilttredge. who has charge of the
stone work came Monday night to re
main Il few days.
Historical.
Historically speaking the old bridge
dates back to the year 1904, when the
first bridge across the Connecticut river
at this point was built and opened The
date of the acceptance of the bridge was
Nov. p, 1904. 1t was built by a corpora
ton formed under the laws of New
Hampshire, under the name of The
Proprietcrs of the IIinsdale Bridge ana
Sixth New Hampshire Turnpike Corpora
ton the purpose of the company being
to bridge the Connecticut at Brattleboro
and also to build and operate a turnpike
from the New Hampshire end of the
bridge through the towns of Hnsdale
and Winchester to the Warwick line in
Massachusetts. The date of acceptance
of the bridge over the creek now
known as the little river bridge, is
not known. but it was probably accepted
and used soon after the opening of the
main bridge.
These bridges stood until 1920, when it
was found necessary to rebuild the one
over the Connecticut river. The con-
struction Of the second bridge proved de-
fective and a new arch bridge was built
in its place The bridge over the
creek was carried away in the winter
of lN2i-5, and ii was rebuilt the following
summer In 1881 both bridges were
built. At that time the main bridge was
built as a covered " y bridge In jan
uary, 1873 the bridge across the creek
was sw. pt away by Il freshet. and was
replaced the following season. This
bridge proved a failure, however, and an
y bridge was built in its place i'm
pany owning the bridges was changed to
" The IIinsdale Bridge Corporation in
that year.
February 49, 1891, the main bridge was
swept away by immense masses of
ice which had formed dudng the I'M
usually cold winter and We're brought
down by a freshet. The bridge was de-
posted on the meadow near Vernon vii
lage. The pier in the middle of the
stream was then carried away down to
low water mark. The pier and bridge
We're rebuilt that year, Dexter Moore of
Newfane having the contract.
The third week of April, 1862 brought
the highest water ever known in the
Connecticut at this point. In this freshet
the little river " bridge was carried
away and the main bridge was seriously
damaged. 1t was at this time that the
island, then owned by y. f. Cabot, and
in a nigh state of farm cultivation, was
practically ruined. The house and out
buildings We're carried away, the large
barn alone remaining. A bridge brought
down from some point above, and lodged
the upper end of the island diverted
the course of the river in such a manner
that a channel from to u feet deep was
cut through the island, and through this
the main current flowed for As hours.
The West river bridge was carried away
in this freshet The little river d"
bridge was rebuilt and the main bridge
repaired during the summer following the
freshet
In the great fresnet of 1869 the main
bridge was wrecked and carried away.
1t was not the main current of the Con-
necticut river which did the mischief on
this occasion. but the raging volume
which pourned down Milestone brook
and ploughed its way straight across the
river and undermined the east abut-
ment, causing the bridge to break in the
middle, The bridge was rebuilt during
the following winter so as to allow pas
sengers to cross, but was not completed
and covered in until the following sum-
mer, when the eastern span was length
ened some 40 feet and the channel of the
river widened to that extent as it now
exists. The work of rebuilding was done
under the charge of the late S. NJ. Waite
With neco ssary repairs. including the in
PRODUCTION of wooden arches a few years
ago, the bridge has stood in the form as
then erected until the present time II
was a toll bridge until 1883. when on Sat
urday morning, Dec LIST, it was thrown
open to the free use of the public by the
joint vote and action of the towns OF
Brattleboro and Iiinsdale.
When the bridge was originally built
IN 1905, Il was an event of such local inn
portunce that it was marked by public
celebration. with speeches and other cere-
monies The orator of the occasion was
Hon. Samuel Elliot, then a young man
The sgea ker's stand was erected on the
bridge and the people crowded in closely
in order to hear the speaker. The weight
caused the timbers to crack, and it Is
matter of verbal tradition, probably
Authentic, that the speaker suddenly
stopped and cried out to his auditors
Ran. run ike hell The bridge is go
ing down" No damage to the bridge
followed however. and the Grafton an(
otner ceremonies We're duly completed.
A Short Chapter of Ferry History.
The having a ferry by Mr.. Brown a
tie Brooks place is going back to ole
times. That has been a crossing place
since 1928 when Col John Stoddard ant
Lieut.. Timothy Dwight came to locate
and build Fort Drummer. They came by
way of Northtield and crossed the rive
Oh the ice. The principal travel up tn,
river came that way afterwards, anC
there was much passing between Shat
tucks fort on the meadow, Hinsdale''
fort at the Liscum place. and For
Dummer after they We're built abou
1875. such a ferry right with the pryi
lege Of taking toll is a franchise, and L
be well founded must be granted by thu
sovereign power, which at that place a
the river is all in New Hampshire, has
since tine Revolution, been the Legislature
of that state Before that it was thu
King OF Great Britain through the Roya
Governor.
Jan >, 1876, James Hubbard made
petition for a ferry " over Connection
river against where the Fort cale
Dummer formerly stood" That was a
this place In the petition he set fort