Middlefield-Becket Stone Arch Railroad Bridge District
|
Middlefield-Becket Stone Arch Railroad Bridge District | |
 | |
|
Near Middlefield Road in Chester | |
  | |
| Nearest city | Chester, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°18′44″N 73°1′10″W / 42.31222°N 73.01944°WCoordinates: 42°18′44″N 73°1′10″W / 42.31222°N 73.01944°W |
| Built | 1840 |
| Architect | George Washington Whistler |
| Architectural style | No Style Listed |
| Governing body | Private |
| NRHP Reference # |
80000502 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 11, 1980 |
The Middlefield-Becket Stone Arch Railroad Bridge District is a historic district extending through parts of the towns of Chester, Middlefield, and Becket, Massachusetts.[2] The district encompasses a 3.7-mile (6.0 km) stretch of railroad right of way in which there are ten bridge crossings of the west branch of the Westfield River. The bridges were built in four time periods: 1840, 1866, 1912, and 1928. Nine of the ten bridges are stone or concrete masonry work, and one is a truss girder bridge. All are, with only minor exceptions, in excellent and original condition. The bridges were built to carry the Western Railroad through on its run from the Connecticut River to the Hudson River. This section of railroad was the most expensive the company had to build, costing over $1 million in 1840.[3]
The 1840 bridges were designed by George Washington Whistler, and constructed by the firm of Alexander Birney. Of the original nine stone bridges built, one three survive, of which two are still in service. Some of these bridges were either demolished or encased in concrete during work performed in 1912 and 1927. One of the listed bridge was built of concrete in 1912, adjacent to one of the 1840 stone bridges that was taken out of service. The one steel truss bridge was built in 1912 by the Pennsylvania Steel Company.[3] The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]
Bridge list
Unless otherwise noted, all bridges were in service at the time of the National Register listing (1980), and crossed the West Branch Westfield River.
| # | Conrail Bridge # |
Year built | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 128.21 | 1866 | Double-span stone arch | |
| 2 | 128.44 | 1912 | Steel deck girder | |
| 3 | out of service | 1840-41 | Stone arch bridge; taken out of service in 1912 | |
| 4 | 129.28 | 1913 | Concrete arch | |
| 5 | out of service | 1840-41 | Stone arch | |
| 6 | out of service | 1840-41 | Stone arch | |
| 7 | 130.10 | 1912 | Concrete arch | |
| 8 | 130.46 | 1866/1912 | Stone/concrete arch; crosses Factory Brook and Town Hill Road | |
| 9 | 131.50 | 1928 | Concrete arch | |
| 10 | 131.70 | 1928 | Concrete arch |
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Berkshire County, Massachusetts
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Hampshire County, Massachusetts
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Hampden County, Massachusetts
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15.
- ↑ Keystone Arches Website
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "NRHP nomination for Middlefield-Becket Stone Arch Railroad Bridge District". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
Further reading
- Brown, Jeff L. (January 2014). "Rock Solid: Stone Arch Bridges of the 1840s". Civil Engineering (Reston, VA: American Society of Civil Engineers): 44–47. ISSN 0885-7024.
External links
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. MA-154, "Whistler Bridge No. 3"
- HAER No. MA-155, "Whistler Bridge No. 4"
- HAER No. MA-156, "Whistler Bridge No. 5"
- HAER No. MA-157, "Whistler Bridge No. 6"
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
