For the past several months, members of the Mystic River Historical Society and the Mystic Chamber of Commerce have been busy organizing various events in preparation to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Mystic River drawbridge.

The bridge, which connects Mystic and Stonington, officially opened on July 19, 1922. It is considered to be one of Groton’s (and Stonington’s) most popular landmarks. Thousands of tourists and visitors who travel to Mystic and southeastern Connecticut are fascinated, and almost mesmerized, as they watch this unique and historic drawbridge open and close for boat traffic traveling up and down the Mystic River.

Most visitors, as well as many local residents, are unaware of the fact that this iconic bridge is not the first to cross the Mystic River and are amazed when they learn there were eight other bridges that previously crossed the river.

In light of the upcoming commemoration celebration, it might be an opportune time to provide a quick glimpse of the history of how crossing the Mystic River has evolved over the years.

It is very probable that, going back to the time when American Indians and early settlers came to the area, primitive footbridges, constructed of fallen tree logs or large rocks, were placed at narrow and shallow crossing locations on the river.

The first ferry service used to cross the river was established in 1660 by Robert Burrows in the area called the “Narrows” where the I-95 highway presently crosses the river between Groton and Stonington. The ferries were mostly wooden, flat bottom scows. Fees charged to cross the river ranged from 25 cents for a coach or 4-wheeled-two horse carriage to 2 cents for pedestrians and 1 cent for each sheep or swine.

In 1769, a second ferry, operated by Joseph Packer, was located farther south at a narrow portion of the river in the area where the Captain Daniel Packer Inne on New London Road is located today. It crossed the river to Pistol Point in Stonington. The fees charged for the ferry were set by the Connecticut General Court and were less expensive than those charged by the Burrows ferry.

The first drawbridge to cross the Mystic River was built in 1819. Constructed of wood, it was operated by drawing the span over rolls from across the channel by means of horses. This was a toll bridge and was located in the general vicinity where the Mystic River bridge is located today. The cost to build this bridge was $2,500.

By 1830, the first bridge had deteriorated to such a degree it was no longer usable and a new bridge, identical to the first, was built at the same location. Thus, this was the second bridge to cross the river (Bridge #2).

In 1854, a new (wooden) toll bridge was built (Bridge #3). It was a swing bridge that opened from the center by men using a long pole. Shortly after being built, the towns of Groton and Stonington purchased the bridge from the privately owned Mystic Bridge Company for $8,000. Tolls on this bridge were immediately discontinued after its purchase.

By the early 1860s, due to an increase in weight of traffic crossing the bridge carrying heavy loads of lumber for boat building, the third bridge was becoming hazardous to cross and it was necessary to close the bridge to vehicle traffic.

In the mid 1860s, voters in both Groton and Stonington approved building a newer and much stronger iron bridge. Before construction of the new iron bridge began. it was necessary to build another temporary bridge. A new, wooden, pontoon type temporary bridge (Bridge #4) was completed within a few months.

In 1866 the new iron bridge (Bridge #5) opened for traffic and the temporary bridge was removed. A sign, which hung over this bridge, cautioned travelers to “Walk Your Horses.” The purpose of the warning relates to a (unsubstantiated) physics theory believing that the noise created by a galloping horse could create a harmonic or rhythmic motion that might cause a bridge to collapse.

In the early 1900s, the Groton and Stonington Trolley Company desired to establish a trolley line route from Groton to Westerly. Because the bridge built in 1866 (Bridge #5) was too narrow to accommodate trolley tracks, it was now necessary to build a newer steel-framed bridge capable of supporting the present vehicle, pedestrian and animal traffic as well as the trolleys.

Once again it was necessary to build a temporary drawbridge before construction could begin on the bridge. This temporary bridge (Bridge #6) opened in May 1904.

Construction of the new steel-framed bridge began immediately after the temporary bridge opened and the former bridge (Bridge #5) was demolished. This bridge, Bridge #7, was a manually operated swing bridge and opened on Sept. 23, 1904. Incidentally, for unknown reasons, it was painted pale green.

Once the new bridge was completed the temporary bridge, Bridge #6 was removed.

By 1920, as automobiles and trucks replaced horses and wagons and larger trolleys were employed, a considerable amount of weight had been added to the carrying capacity of the bridge. This added weight resulted in the bridge foundations settling unevenly in the riverbed, frequently causing the bridge to stick in the open position, creating traffic back-ups of up to two hours.

The state installed an electric motor to swing the bridge; however, this added little to no correction to the problem.

In 1920, finding this bridge to be a continual “bill of expense,” the State of Connecticut and Towns of Groton and Stonington agreed to build the newly designed “Brown Balance Beam Light” bascule bridge, the first of its kind in the United States. The cost to build the bridge was $245,000, pretty reasonable when you consider what it would cost today.

Groton’s share was $63,000, Stonington paid $54,000 and the state paid the remainder.

A temporary wooden bridge (Bridge #8) was built a short distance north of the old bridge to handle traffic while the new bridge was under construction. It was necessary for individuals traveling by trolley through Mystic to disembark on each side of the river and walk to the other side to board trolleys to continue their trip.

Work on the new bridge (Bridge #9) began on July 10, 1921, with the laying of a solid foundation and several piers on both sides using approximately 2,000 cubic yards of concrete. In April 1922, the American Bridge Company of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, began installing the approximately 500 tons of steel used to build the bridge. The bridge officially opened on July 19, 1922.

The bridge is approximately 220 feet long and 45 feet wide, including pedestrian sidewalks on each side of the span. The lift span is approximately 88 feet long and weighs 660 tons. It has two concrete-filled counterweights, each weighing 230 tons.

Originally only one-half of the power available from two 40 horsepower motors was necessary to raise the bridge in 35 seconds.

In March of 1937, the flooring of the bridge was replaced. Because the Groton and Stonington Traction Company had discontinued the trolley route through Mystic in 1928, the trolley tracks were removed. The original decking, consisting of asphalt on top of wood planking, was removed and replaced with a fabricated TT-mesh style steel. The same steel decking material is in use on the bridge today.

Beginning in the late to mid-1980s some serious mechanical problems on the bridge began to occur. Many of these problems caused delays in opening and closing the bridge. Most of the problems were associated with the age and constant use of the bridge.

To address these problems, the Connecticut Department of Transportation developed a two-phase rehabilitation and refurbishment project for the bridge.

The first phase, which began in 2000 and finished in 2004, included replacing the open grid steel deck system and sidewalk decking as well as structural repair of the concrete counterweights, sidewalk support and pier substructure.

The second phase, begun in 2010 and completed in 2013, encompassed the replacement of the operator’s house, operating machinery, electrical control systems, repairs to the structural steel and painting the superstructure. The cost for the entire project was approximately $14.9 million.

Although the bridge is structurally and mechanically renovated, the overall historical appearance and physical characteristics remain the same today as they were in 1922.

Hopefully the sight and sounds of the Mystic River Bascule Bridge will live on for another hundred years.

Jim Streeter is Groton Town historian.

Note: Jim Streeter will be providing a presentation on the bridges for the Mystic River Historical Society at 7:30 p.m. on April 27 at the Mystic Congregational Church. Also, if you would like to learn more about the history of the Mystic River Bridge, please contact the Mystic River Historical Society or the Mystic Chamber of Commerce or go to their websites to see a list of ongoing and upcoming events relating to the 100th anniversary of the bridge.