Identifier: ourcountyitspeop01cope (find matches)
Title: "Our county and its people" : A history of Hampden County, Massachusetts.
Year: 1902 (1900s)
Authors: Copeland, Alfred Minott, 1830- ed
Subjects: Hampden County (Mass.) -- History Hampden County (Mass.) -- Biography
Publisher: Boston : Century Memorial Pub. Co
Contributing Library: UMass Amherst Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: UMass Amherst Libraries

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ears the structure has accommo-dated travel between Springfield and the thickly settled townsacross the river, and for many years it was the only bridge overthe Connecticut within the limits of Hampden county. AYithinthe last twenty-five years the structure frequently has beenstrengthened in the hope that its use might be continued, but vir-tually it is condemned and for some twenty yeare the peoplehave been clamorous for a new bridge on its site. The covered bridge was built at a cost of $25,000. It is1,287 feet long, twenty-eight feet above low water, and eighteenfeet wide. The side walk was added in 1878. It was main-tained as a toll bridge until 1873, when it was taken by commis-sioners appointed under the act to abolish the tolP system. It ^The act of incorporation authorized rates of toll as follows: Foot pas-sengers. 3 cts.; horse and rider. 7 cts. ; horse and chaise, chair or sulky, 16 cts.;coach, chariot, phaeton or other four-wheeled carriage for passengers. 33 cts.; ( 168 )
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OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE was purchased for iii:?0,00(), of wliieli the county paid $15,000,West Springfield, $4,000, Springfield, $10,000, and Agawam,$1,000. Since that time it has been maintained as a free bridge,tlie county paying one-half, Springfield one-third and WestSpringfield one-sixth of the expense. The Chicopee bridge, so called, but formerly known as theCabot and West Spring-field bridge, dates its history from theyear 1846, when, on March 27, the Cabot and West Springfieldbridge company was incorporated. The bridge itself was builtin 1848-49, and was maintained as a toll bridge until purchasedand made free in 1872. The original founders of the enterprisewere Eobert E. Bemis, Veranus Chapin, Aaron Ashley, HoraceSmith and their associates, who were authorized to build andmaintain a toll bridge across the Connecticut at Ashleys ferry,so called, or between that point and Jones ferry, as the countycommissioners should determine. When taken and made a free bridge in 1872 the c

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