Draw Bridge at New Bridge
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Draw Bridge at New Bridge
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| Location | Main Street and Old New Bridge Road over the Hackensack River, New Milford, New Jersey |
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| Coordinates | 40°54′51″N 74°1′48″W / 40.91417°N 74.03000°WCoordinates: 40°54′51″N 74°1′48″W / 40.91417°N 74.03000°W |
| Area | 0.4 acres (0.16 ha) |
| Built | 1888 |
| Architect | Stagg, Joseph W.; King Bridge Company |
| Architectural style | Pratt-type low truss bridge |
| NRHP Reference # | 89000775 |
| NJRHP # | 655 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | July 5, 1989 |
| Designated NJRHP | May 22, 1989 |
The bridge at New Bridge Landing, New Jersey was built in 1888 to replace an earlier wooden one, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 5, 1989.
According to historian Kevin Wright, the extant iron swing bridge at New Bridge Landing occupies the site of a series of wooden drawbridges that have spanned the narrows of the Hackensack River at New Bridge since 1745. Until 1790, this was the first river crossing above Newark Bay and so carried overland traffic between Manhattan and the interior of North America. The bridge became vitally important during the American Revolution and was crossed by General George Washington at the head of the retreating garrison of Fort Lee on November 20, 1776, earning its appellation as the Bridge That Saved A Nation. Hills on either side of New Bridge were fortified during the war to defend this strategic crossing and stone houses flanking the bridge served as forts, battleground, encampment ground and military headquarters in every year of the conflict. New Bridge was literally, "the crossroads of the American Revolution," having supposedly survived more of the war than any other spot in America.
Bergen County installed the extant iron swing bridge in 1889 as part of the ongoing replacement of outdated wooden drawbridges, which slowed the passage of ship traffic on the river. A drawbridge only opened one lane of traffic, while a swing bridge opened two, allowing boats to pass simultaneously in both directions. The Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders instructed a Bridge Committee to proceed with plans, specifications and cost estimates for a new structure to span the Hackensack River at the village of New Bridge at a special meeting in April 1888. Freeholder Zabriskie, heading the committee, put the cost of the proposed structure at about $9,000. On June 25, 1888, the Bridge Committee revised specifications for the new bridge and decided to re-advertise for bids. On the final day of June, they adopted their plans and specifications. In July 1888, contracts for erecting an iron bridge at New Bridge were awarded on the following bids:
Bridge Contracts: New Bridge Draw — Smith Bridge Co., $4,170; Penn. $4,390; Berlin, $4,287; Dean & Westbrook, $4,330; Variety, $4,390; Columbia, $4,345; Pittsburg, $4,467; King Iron, $3,990 — King Iron awarded contract. Bids for stone work — Joseph Stagg, $3,994; S. H. Vanderbeck, $4,324. Contract to Mr. Stagg.
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