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| Slade's Ferry Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Name | Slade's Ferry Bridge |
| Crosses | Taunton River |
| Locale | Fall River, Massachusetts; Somerset, Massachusetts |
| Design | Truss swing bridge |
| Material | Steel, timber |
| Open | 1875 |
| Closed | 1970s |
| Replaced by | Braga Bridge |
Slade's Ferry Bridge
The Slade's Ferry Bridge was a historic movable crossing over the Taunton River linking Fall River, Massachusetts and Somerset, Massachusetts. Built in the late 19th century, the structure served road, rail, and marine traffic and played a role in regional transportation networks connecting to New Bedford, Providence, Rhode Island, Boston, and other United States industrial ports. The bridge intersected with local industrial corridors near the Cotton Mill districts, the Old Colony Railroad, and the rise of textile industry centers along the southeastern Massachusetts Bay coast.
The site of the bridge lay near early colonial ferry operations tied to King Philip's War era settlement patterns and later 19th-century expansion during the American Industrial Revolution, when nearby mills in Fall River and wharves in New Bedford grew. By the 1840s the corridor was influenced by railroad entrepreneurs such as the Old Colony Railroad, New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, and regional financiers who promoted river crossings to connect to Providence and Worcester Railroad routes. The 1875 construction reflected municipal initiatives from the City of Fall River and the Town of Somerset, and aligned with transportation policies under the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that encouraged infrastructure investment during post-Civil War reconstruction and the Gilded Age.
Engineers working on the bridge drew on contemporary movable bridge practice exemplified by designers linked to the American Society of Civil Engineers and firms active during the period such as those behind the Brooklyn Bridge and other truss bridge projects. The structure incorporated a steel truss swing span and timber approaches similar to movable bridges crossing the Connecticut River and near Bridgeport, Connecticut. Construction contractors coordinated with shipping interests from the United States Coast Guard and local harbor masters to preserve navigation on the Taunton River. Materials procurement involved suppliers serving the New England iron and steel trade which had connections to mills in Pittsburgh, Worcester, and Lowell.
The bridge carried mixed traffic including road vehicles from Route 6 corridors, freight from the Old Colony Railroad freight branches, and passenger services linking to stations serving Fall River Depot and regional ferries to New York City and Cape Cod. Industrial shipments to the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company warehouses and textile mills required coordination with marine traffic using the Taunton River channel, overseen by the United States Army Corps of Engineers dredging programs and state harbor commissioners. By the early 20th century the crossing was integrated into commuter patterns that connected to streetcar lines and trolley services like those operated by the Fall River Street Railway Company and influenced regional planners in Bristol County.
Over its operational life the bridge experienced collisions with commercial schooners and steamships similar to incidents on the Hudson River and other busy estuaries; such events prompted inquiries by bodies modeled on the Federal Interstate Commerce Commission and local authorities from the Bristol County Commissioners. Repairs required seasonal closures and coordination with suppliers of structural steel and timber from firms in Springfield, Massachusetts and Manchester, New Hampshire. Periodic rehabilitation campaigns reflected standards advanced by the American Bridge Company and masonry work undertaken by contractors familiar with piers in Boston Harbor and the Charles River.
By mid-20th century traffic demands and clearance requirements influenced by interstate projects such as the Interstate Highway System and proposals akin to the Big Dig era reassessments led to planning for higher clearances and more modern spans. The construction of the nearby Braga Bridge and improvements to Route 79 corridors, together with federal and state funding mechanisms like programs influenced by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, resulted in the bridge's redundancy. Decommissioning followed engineering evaluations similar to those for other movable spans in New England, and demolition removed superstructure elements while coordinated with environmental reviews comparable to those conducted by the National Environmental Policy Act processes.
The crossing shaped commerce for textile manufacturers in Fall River Iron Works and wholesalers in Somerset Wharf while influencing labor movements with ties to unions such as the Amalgamated Textile Workers and regional chapters of the AFL–CIO. The bridge featured in local histories, postcards, and period photography collected in institutions like the Fall River Historical Society, Somerset Historical Society, and archives at the Massachusetts Historical Society. Its presence affected real estate and shipping patterns similar to effects documented in studies of New Bedford Whaling Museum port economies and influenced city planners tied to Metropolitan Area Planning Council initiatives.
Remnants of foundations and approach abutments have been documented by local preservationists and archaeologists following practices used at sites such as Fort Taber and waterfront projects in Pawtucket. Interpretive signage, museum exhibits, and collections at regional repositories including the New Bedford Whaling Museum, local libraries, and university archives at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Providence College preserve the bridge's history. The bridge's story intersects with broader narratives involving the Industrial Revolution in the United States, regional transportation networks, and the transformation of waterfronts across Bristol County, Massachusetts.
Category:Bridges in Massachusetts Category:Fall River, Massachusetts Category:Somerset, Massachusetts Category:Taunton River