Suffield and Thompsonville Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Suffield and Thompsonville Bridge was a 5-span iron truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...

 over the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...

 located between present day Suffield, Connecticut
Suffield, Connecticut
Suffield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It had once been within the boundaries of Massachusetts. The town is located in the Connecticut River Valley with the town of Enfield neighboring to the east. In 1900, 3,521 people lived in Suffield; and in 1910, 3,841. As of the...

 and Thompsonville, Connecticut
Thompsonville, Connecticut
Thompsonville is a census-designated place in the town of Enfield in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,125 at the 2000 census.-History:...

 (Enfield
Enfield, Connecticut
Enfield is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 45,212 at the 2000 census. It sits on the border with Longmeadow, Massachusetts and East Longmeadow, Massachusetts to the north, Somers to the east, East Windsor and Ellington to the south, and the...

). It connected Burbank Avenue in Suffield with Main Street in Thompsonville. Its four stone piers still stand today.

History

In 1889 the Suffield and Thompsonville Bridge Company was granted a charter to construct an iron bridge across the Connecticut River between Thompsonville and Suffield. They owned the bridge.
  • Iron Contractor: The Berlin Iron Bridge Company of Berlin, Connecticut
    Berlin, Connecticut
    Berlin is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 19,866 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated in 1785. The geographic center of Connecticut is located in the town. Berlin is residential and industrial, and served by the Amtrak station of the same name...

  • Stone Contractor: O.W. Weand of Reading, PA
  • First toll-taker: Nathan Hemenway
  • Toll
    Toll bridge
    A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...

    s: three cents for pedestrians, twelve cents for single teams and fifteen cents for double teams.

Not shown in the image was a walkway on the south (downstream) side of the bridge. Very popular for shad fishing.
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