Thompson's Bridge

Thompson's Bridge
Nearest city Allen's Mills, Maine
Coordinates 44°43′36″N 70°0′25″W / 44.72667°N 70.00694°W / 44.72667; -70.00694Coordinates: 44°43′36″N 70°0′25″W / 44.72667°N 70.00694°W / 44.72667; -70.00694
Area less than one acre
Built 1808 (1808)
NRHP Reference # 91000321[1]
Added to NRHP March 22, 1991

Thompson's Bridge is a historic stone bridge in rural Franklin County, Maine. Built c. 1808, it is one of a very small number of surviving stone lintel bridges in the state, a type that were once quite common. It carries a local dirt road across Josiah Creek in the Allen's Mills section of Industry, and is located near (and possibly on) the border with neighboring Somerset County.[2] The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.[1]

The bridge abutments consist of local fieldstone arranged in dry laid courses. The main span consists of large granite slabs laid across the narrow opening between the abutments. A layer of earth is built above these slabs, supporting the dirt roadway, which is about 10 feet (3.0 m) wide. The southern abutment has extensive wingwalls, giving that structure a total width of about 20 feet (6.1 m).[2]

The road which the bridge carries was probably laid out in 1808, during the early period of Industry's settlement. John Thompson had a house and established a grist mill nearby in 1805. The area had been abandoned by the late 19th century, and the roadway south of the bridge is unmaintained and in deteriorated condition. In a 1924 survey, the state identified more than 100 of this type of bridge; as of 1987, only three were known to survive in relatively unaltered condition. The bridge is also one of the town of Industry's oldest structures; its oldest surviving building has an estimated construction date of 1820.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 3 "NRHP nomination for Thompson's Bridge" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-03-28.
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