Crossing the Gut


Third bridge over the "Gut," South Bristol, ca.1926

Third bridge over the "Gut," South Bristol, ca.1926
Item 79588   info
South Bristol Historical Society

By 1911 the wooden swing bridge was in poor condition. Feeling that Bristol's Selectmen were slow to make necessary repairs was one of the major factors leading South Bristol residents to petition for independence from Bristol.

Even though South Bristol became an independent town in 1915, it wasn't until 1921 that a new steel draw bridge was built.

No longer a swing bridge, the deck was hinged and lifted upward with the aid of two large concrete counterweights that moved downward on curved beams as the deck rose up.

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