Choate Bridge (1764) is a historic

stone arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side, and partiall ...

carrying Route 1A/ Route 133 (South Main Street) over the

Ipswich River Ipswich River is a small river in northeastern Massachusetts, United States. It held significant importance in early colonial migrations inland from the ocean port of Ipswich, Massachusetts, Ipswich. The river provided safe harborage at offshore ...

Ipswich, Massachusetts Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,785 at the 2020 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island. A res ...

. It is one of the oldest surviving bridges in North America, and is probably the oldest in Massachusetts. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1972 and also has been designated as a

National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark __NOTOC__ The following is a list of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks as designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers since it began the program in 1964. The designation is granted to projects, structures, and sites in the United Stat ...

History

The stone bridge was built in 1764 with funds provided by the town of Ipswich and Essex County. Construction was supervised by Colonel John Choate, in whose honor the bridge was named. Choate was allegedly the first person to ride his horse over the bridge. In 1838 the single lane bridge was widened to two lanes by adding to the eastern side of the structure. In 1989 the bridge was extensively renovated. There are two known bridges of greater age still in use in the United States: the Pennypack Creek Bridge in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, a double arch stone bridge built in 1697, and a single arch stone bridge in nearby

Rowley, Massachusetts Rowley is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,161 at the 2020 census. Part of the town comprises the census-designated place of Rowley. History The area was inhabited by the Agawam people under sachem ...

, built in 1643 and rebuilt in the 19th century.

Description

The bridge has a total length of , with two stone arches, each spanning . It is constructed out of roughly dressed granite; the original 1764 arches are wide, with the 1838 addition adding . The arch facing of the older portion is finished with lime and mortar, while the newer is dry laid. The older western spandrel wall is fashioned out of heavily chinked rubble, while that on the eastern side is fashioned out of larger blocks that are drill-split rubble. The bridge has low parapets on either side; that on the west is presumed to be original to the bridge's 1764 construction. All of the stone elements have seen numerous repairs and evidence of repointing prior to the 1989 rehabilitation. The central pier has an extended nose on the upstream side of unknown age.

References

External links

Choate Bridge website
* {{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Historic American Engineering Record in Massachusetts Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks Bridges completed in 1764 Bridges in Essex County, Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Ipswich, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Ipswich, Massachusetts 1764 establishments in the Province of Massachusetts Bay Stone arch bridges in the United States

History

Description

See also

References

External links