Hampton Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Hampton Bridge is a bridge that spans the Hampton River
near Hampton Beach, New Hampshire
. Today, this bridge stands constructed with steel and concrete. Initially it was constructed of wood by Wallace D. Lovell and referred to as The Mile Long Wooden Bridge. For a time in the early 1900s, Hampton Bridge earned the title of longest bridge in the United States.
The completion of the bridge took almost a year and according to the Exeter Newsletter of July 5, 1901, was a “great undertaking.” Long hours of manpower went into moving materials and building it. The bridge measured 4,740 feet (1,445 m) in length and 30 feet (9 m) in width. It was supported by 3,865 wooden piles, driven deep into the bottom of the river. Moving the materials used to build the bridge presented a great challenge. A tugboat named the “H.A. Mathes” towed rafts full of lumber to the bridge site from Portsmouth
. “Other materials were floated downstream to the bridge from the railroad station at Hampton Falls
.”
The official opening of the “Mile-long Bridge” was May 14, 1902. Chester B. Jordan
, the governor
at the time, was among many political figures who attended the opening. As the end of the era of trolley cars rolled in, automobiles took over and the wooden bridge was not effective anymore. Lovell sold the bridge to the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway
. "By 1930, the structure began to show the strain of the years of shifting sands, ice floes and heavy traffic.” New Hampshire
was faced with making plans for a modernized structure to replace the wooden bridge.
Hampton River (New Hampshire)
The Hampton River is a tidal inlet in the towns of Hampton and Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, the United States. It is surrounded by the largest salt marsh in New Hampshire, covering over ....
near Hampton Beach, New Hampshire
Hampton Beach, New Hampshire
Hampton Beach is a village district, census-designated place, and beach resort within the town of Hampton, in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located on the Atlantic Ocean. Its population at the 2010 census was 2,275. Hampton Beach is located in Rockingham County, approximately south of Portsmouth...
. Today, this bridge stands constructed with steel and concrete. Initially it was constructed of wood by Wallace D. Lovell and referred to as The Mile Long Wooden Bridge. For a time in the early 1900s, Hampton Bridge earned the title of longest bridge in the United States.
The completion of the bridge took almost a year and according to the Exeter Newsletter of July 5, 1901, was a “great undertaking.” Long hours of manpower went into moving materials and building it. The bridge measured 4,740 feet (1,445 m) in length and 30 feet (9 m) in width. It was supported by 3,865 wooden piles, driven deep into the bottom of the river. Moving the materials used to build the bridge presented a great challenge. A tugboat named the “H.A. Mathes” towed rafts full of lumber to the bridge site from Portsmouth
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
. “Other materials were floated downstream to the bridge from the railroad station at Hampton Falls
Hampton Falls, New Hampshire
Hampton Falls is a New England town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,236 at the 2010 census.-History:...
.”
The official opening of the “Mile-long Bridge” was May 14, 1902. Chester B. Jordan
Chester B. Jordan
Chester Bradley Jordan was an American teacher, lawyer, and Republican politician from Lancaster, New Hampshire. Born in 1839 in Colebrook, New Hampshire, he served in both houses of the New Hampshire legislature and had the dual honor of heading both. He was Speaker of the House in 1881 and...
, the governor
Governor of New Hampshire
The Governor of the State of New Hampshire is the supreme executive magistrate of the U.S. state of New Hampshire.The governor is elected at the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with bordering Vermont, to hold...
at the time, was among many political figures who attended the opening. As the end of the era of trolley cars rolled in, automobiles took over and the wooden bridge was not effective anymore. Lovell sold the bridge to the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway
Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway
The Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway was a streetcar and later bus company in eastern Massachusetts, serving most suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts...
. "By 1930, the structure began to show the strain of the years of shifting sands, ice floes and heavy traffic.” New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
was faced with making plans for a modernized structure to replace the wooden bridge.