Suffield and Thompsonville Bridge

Suffield and Thompsonville Bridge
Coordinates	41°59′57″N 72°36′25.56″W
Carries	vehicular and pedestrian traffic
Crosses	Connecticut River
Locale	Suffield, Connecticut, to Thompsonville, Connecticut
Characteristics
Design	5-span iron through truss bridge
Total length	1,060 feet (323 m)
History
Construction start	August 15, 1892
Construction end	January 14, 1893
Opened	February 20, 1893
Closed	1971
Statistics
Toll	3¢ for pedestrians 12¢ for single teams 15¢ for double teams
Location

The Suffield and Thompsonville Bridge was a 5-span iron through truss bridge over the Connecticut River located between present day Suffield, Connecticut, and Thompsonville, Connecticut (Enfield). It connected Burbank Avenue in Suffield with Main Street in Thompsonville. Its four stone piers still stand today.

History

Former bridge piers photographed in 2014

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. The Berlin Iron Bridge Company of Berlin, Connecticut, was the contractor for the ironwork, and O.W. Weand of Reading, Pennsylvania, was the contractor for the stonework. The first toll-taker was Nathan Hemenway. Tolls were initially three cents for pedestrians, twelve cents for single teams and fifteen cents for double teams.

The Enfield–Suffield Veterans Bridge opened downstream in 1966, and the Suffield and Thompsonville Bridge closed shortly thereafter. The ironwork was removed, but the four piers remain in the river.

See also

• List of crossings of the Connecticut River

External links

• Media related to Suffield and Thompsonville Bridge at Wikimedia Commons
• Enfield Historical Society