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Published September, 2002
The Massachusetts Highway Department (MassHighway) is responsible for the design, construction, and maintenance of 12,600 lane miles* of state highway and 2,900 bridges in the Commonwealth. The Department has general oversight of more than 300 stone bridges constructed in the state between 1764 and 1929. Having adequate information about a bridge's history is crucial for the repair or replacement of a bridge. Until recently, much of the department's data on the stone bridges under its purview was either scant or in need of review.
In 1998, the Massachusetts Highway Department implemented the Massachusetts Stone Bridges Historic Research Project in an effort to augment the department's files on the state's stone bridges. Lola Bennett, of McGinley Hart & Associates, architects and planners, was hired to review existing documentation and to compile histories of those bridges that had insufficient historical information. She completed her work in the spring of 2002, having researched more than 206 bridges ª.
In her odyssey to document the stone bridges of Massachusetts, Bennett examined a variety of primary and secondary sources in libraries and town offices across the state. Published town and county histories, maps and atlases, city directories, newspapers, annual town reports, legislation, town meeting minutes, and scrapbooks were some of the materials she used in an effort to determine bridge construction or alteration dates; the identities of bridge owners, designers, and builders; and the circumstances surrounding the erection or alteration of a bridge. Many of these documents can be found at the State Library of Massachusetts.
The State Library of Massachusetts thanks Lola Bennett, Steve Roper (MassHighway), and Alex Bardow (MassHighway) for their assistance in assembling the exhibition. For additional information about the exhibition, contact Betsy Lowenstein, chief of Special Collections.
* Lane Miles: The length of a road in miles, times the number of lanes. A road two miles long, with four lanes, has eight lane miles.
ª The rest of the stone bridges were adequately documented.
Web Copyright Notice: All content copyright. Information is provided in keeping with the Fair Use clause of the US Copyright Statute (Title 17: US Code). The institution cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information found by linking to external sites and access does not confer copyright. Those who choose to look at such data should be aware that some items may be posted in violation of copyright. You must always take appropriate precautions before any use to ensure copyright compliance.
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Grow's Bridge, East Bridgewater.
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Photographer unknown.
Files of Bridge Section, MassHighway, 1925.
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| In February 1886, the existing bridge on Central Street was swept away when the stream it straddled overflowed. On March 15, 1886, the town voted to authorize the construction of a new bridge near the house of H. A. Grow, the cost not to exceed $2,000. The bridge was constructed by C. V. Pendleton in the spring of 1886 for a total of $1,844.52, as documented on page 30 of East Bridgewater's annual report for 1886. |
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Sixty-Second Annual Report of the
Town Officers of the East Bridgewater,
for the Year 1886.
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Boston: Alfred Mudge & Son, 1886,
p.30 excerpt. SLM.
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Massachusetts Historic Bridge Inventory
for Grow's Bridge on Central Street
in East Bridgewater.
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Files of the Cultural
Resources Section, MHD, 2002.
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The Conrail Bridge, Springfield.
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The Conrail Bridge, Springfield.
Photographed by Lola Bennett, 2002.
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Acts and Resolves Passed by the
General Court of Massachusetts,
in the Year 1869.
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Boston: Wright & Potter, 1869. SLM.
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The Worcester Directory,
Containing a General Directory
of the Citizens, A Business Directory,
and the City and County Register.
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Worcestor: Drew, Allis, & Co., 1888. SLM.
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The Worcester Directory,
Containing a General Directory
of the Citizens, A Business Directory,
and the City and County Register.
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Worcestor: Drew, Allis, & Co., 1888. SLM.
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A Plan of Springfield Village for
the Springfield Directory 1846.
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Published in The Springfield Almanac, Directory,
and Business Advertiser for 1846.
Springfield [Mass.]: Valentine W. Skiff, 1846. SLM.
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Neponset Street Bridge, Canton.
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Photographer unknown. Files of
Bridge Section, MassHighway, ca. 1925.
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View of Canton, Mass. 1878.
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Detail. Drawn by O. H. Bailey
and J. C. Hazen. Boston:
Bailey & Hazen, 1878.
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