The Stone Bridge was a bridge built in 1907 in Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

 that carried RI 138 over the Sakonnet River

Sakonnet River

The Sakonnet River is a tidal strait, in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 23 km between Mount Hope Bay and Rhode Island Sound...

 between Portsmouth

Portsmouth, Rhode Island

Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,389 at the 2010 U.S. Census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. Most of its land area lies on Aquidneck...

 and Tiverton. It was destroyed by Hurricane Carol

Hurricane Carol

Hurricane Carol was among the worst tropical cyclones to affect the New England region of the United States. It developed from a tropical wave near the Bahamas on August 25, 1954, and gradually strengthened as it moved northwestward. On August 27, Carol intensified to reach winds of , but weakened...

 in 1954, and replaced in 1956 by the Sakonnet River Bridge

Sakonnet River Bridge

The Sakonnet River Bridge is a four-lane truss bridge spanning the Sakonnet River in eastern Rhode Island. The bridge carries RI 24 and RI 138 between the communities of Portsmouth and Tiverton, Rhode Island...

, located 0.8 mi (1.3 km) to the north.

History

According to the Federal Writer's Project in 1977:

A ferry was established in 1640 at this point, probably the first regular ferry to be commissioned in Rhode Island. It was locally referred to as Howland's Ferry, but was also called Pocasset Ferry, Sanford's Ferry and Wanton's Ferry. It was run by the Howland family from about 1703 to 1776. The ferry-right was sold to the Rhode Island Bridge Company in 1794, and a wooden bridge was built and opened the next year, though it was not steadily in use until 1810. The present steel bridge was constructed by the State in 1907."

During Battle of Rhode Island

Battle of Rhode Island

The Battle of Rhode Island, also known as the Battle of Quaker Hill and the Siege of Newport, took place on August 29, 1778. Continental Army and militia forces under the command of General John Sullivan were withdrawing to the northern part of Aquidneck Island after abandoning their siege of...

 in the American Revolution, American troops retreated from the British near this spot. The Stone Bridge approaches are still visible from either side as of 2008. The approaches are on Park Avenue in Portsmouth

Portsmouth, Rhode Island

Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,389 at the 2010 U.S. Census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. Most of its land area lies on Aquidneck...

 and at a park in Tiverton off Main Road (RI 77).

External links

• Photograph of the Stone Bridge as it stood before it was destroyed.
• Another view of the Stone Bridge.