One of the stops on our last summer’s scavenger hunt was the stone arch bridge. Finding the bridge was probably the biggest challenge on the list unless you’ve participated in the Rochester Memorial Day River Race. While several large rocks and our many stone walls get the most attention, the rock arch bridge is a bit of an architectural wonder.
Arch bridges are defined as structures that span a gap by using a curved shape that supports the bridge and its load. The Romans were the first to get into extensively building arched bridges. It is the arch that gives the bridge its strength but they can be tricky to build. The hardest part of building the bridge is the arch as the two parts of the structure have no structural integrity until they meet in the middle.
Stone arch bridges are quite rare and were made without the use of any mortar. The Rochester arch bridge is near what was once the Rounseville Sawmill. I was unable to find an approximate date for when it was built but suffice it to say, it’s old.
In the late 1970’s, the area was in the grip of a drought severe enough to dry up the river that once fed the sawmill. In one of the museum’s scrapbooks is a picture of George White, a former Mattapoisett selectman, standing on the dry riverbed beside the bridge. He was able to inspect the original bridge of rocks fitted together with no mortar. The cement that he could see sealing the outer sections was done at a later time to stabilize the bridge.
If anyone has any additional information about the bridge, I would like to learn more about it. You can reach me at eshbach2@aol.com or 617 750 2818.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from the Rochester Historical Society.
By Connie Eshbach