Major Bibliographical References Bibliography (cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.) Previous documentation on file (NPS): Primary location of additional data preliminary determination of individual listing (36 X State Historic Preservation Office CFR 67) has been requested Other State agency previously listed in the National Register Federal agency previously determined eligible by the National Local government Register University designated a National Historic Landmark Other recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey Name of repository: # Mass.
Highway Department, bridge # 0-6-4 recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # MA-104 orm 10-800e OM8 Approvel Na 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number BARTLETT'S BRIDGE Oxford (Worcester), Mass. Page - 7. DESCRIPTION Bartlett's Brudge is a stone masonry structure built in 1889, spanning the French River in the Worcester County town of Oxford, Massachusetts. It is located on Clara Barton Road, approximately 1/10th of a mile west of Massachusetts highway 12, in the small industrial center of North Oxford. Oxford's topography is dominated by the French River watershed, which flows north-to-south through the entire breadth of the town. Several of its tributaries drain the eastern half of the town.
The river descends more than 200 feet in the two miles between the northern boundary of the town and North Oxford Village, which led to an intensive development of water- powered industry there. Clara Barton Road, named in the 20" century for the founder of the American Red Cross (whose birthplace is located on the road), connected North Oxford with Charlton, five miles to the west. The French River crossing became the site of an industrial center known as North Oxford Mills, and later the location of North Oxford's depot on the Providence, Webster and Springfield branch of the Boston & Albany Railroad. Although the industrial economy that established North Oxford no longer exists, the setting of the bridge remains intact to its period of significance. The stone arched bridge replaced an older structure, probably constructed of wood.
Increased traffic created by industrial activity, and a railroad depot west of the river motivated town government to approve a petition from mill owner Edwin Bartlett for a new crossing in 1888. Instead of the iron bridge Bartlett requested, the road commissioners contracted for a stone bridge designed by engineer Charles A. Allen and built by masons Peter and Michael Kenny. The bridge is 42 feet wide with an elliptical masonry deck arch 30 feet long and 13 feet high spanning the river. It carries a 16-foot wide roadway with stone parapet walls. The sides of the bridge are faced with undressed, drilled-and-split granite blocks in irregular course with mortar joints. Squared voussoirs with chiseled edges form the outside faces of the arch with keystones only slightly larger than the rest.
The precision tooling of the arch stones provide a contrasting finish that distinguishes the craftsmanship in the otherwise rustic stonework. The top of the parapet walls are capped with massive granite slabs 4 ½ feet long, 2 feet wide and nearly a foot thick. Dry-laid granite wing walls from abutments on either side of the river angling nearly 14 feet into the hillsides there. The northeastern wing wall has been rebuilt incorporating many new granite stones of similar scale to the originals. It appears that some of the old stones have been re-used as rip-rap on the hillside east of the wing wall. Periodic re-pointing of the stonework and re-paving of the roadway (now asphalt) have occurred but otherwise the bridge has experienced few, if any, visible alterations.
Over a century after its construction, Bartlett's Bridge survives as a distinctive example of late 19t* century stone arch bridge construction in Massachusetts. (continued) MPS Form 10-800 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number. 7/8 2/1 Page. OMB Aaprovel No. 1024-0016 BARTLETT'S BRIDGE Oxford (Worcester), Mass. Archaeological Description No prehistoric sites have been recorded in the areas of the bridge abutments or in the general locale (within one mile). While the area is located adjacent to the French River, excessively sloped land surfaces and impacts resulting from construction of Clara Barton Road and the bridge abutments indicate a low potential for the presence or survival of prehistoric resources. The potential for locating significant historic archaeological resources is also low.
Archaeological features may survive from construction of the bridge abutments, however these resources are of limited research value and importance. (end) 8. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Bartlett's Bridge, built in 1888 in North Oxford, Worcester country, Massachusetts, is significant as a distinctive example of late 19** century stone arch bridge engineering and construction. Replacing an earlier wooded span, the bridge represents the growing importance of this area as a manufacturing and transportation center. The design of the new bridge also reflects the increased public attention directed towards highway and other public improvements by local and county governments and the influence of uniform engineering standards.
In spite of its progressive characteristics, the bridge was conceived to have a rustic, picturesque appearance, which developed in reaction to outmoded iron bridge design and in response to the historic impulses of the period. Bartlett's Bridge retains integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, feeling and location, and fulfills National Register criteria A and C. The bridge is named for its association with Edwin Bartlett, a leading industrialist in the Oxford community. Bartlett owned the North Oxford mills that occupied the land around the bridge. The town of Oxford contracted with an engineer and stone masons from nearby Worcester to design and build the bridge. Charles A. Allen was a civil engineer with experience in railroad construction and water systems. He was the civil engineer for the city of Worcester at the time he accepted the Bartlett's Bridge contract.
Brothers Peter and Michael Kenney, Worcester stone masons, teamed up to construct the bridge. During the 19t* century North Oxford, like many other towns across the state, evolved gradually from a rural agricultural community into an industrial center. The perennial expansion and diversification of New England's trade economy and the demands of its growing urban centers (continued) MPS Form 10-800 88-00 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number -_ ° Page - OM8 Approval No. 1024-0018 BARTLETT'S BRIDGE Oxford (Worcester), Mass. for manufactured goods resulted in intensive industrial development along any waterway with potential hydraulic capabilities.
The French River was one such source, and it was impounded at numerous points along its route, which by the time it reached North Oxford, had dropped more than 200 feet in elevation from its source in the hills north of the town line. Textile factories began to appear in North Oxford and in other villages downstream in the early 1800s, including Webster, which was part of the town of Oxford when Samuel Slater introduced the industry to the region in 1813. The first textile mill within the present limits of Oxford was erected by the Oxford Central Cotton and Woolen Manufacturing Company in 1816, north of Oxford Center. Other mills followed, and by 1832, two woolen mills, three cotton mills and a cotton thread factory had been established in the villages of North Oxford, Texas, Hodges Village and Buffumville. Total value of textile goods produced was $190,200 with 357 workers employed.
Oxford's textile industry continued to expand in the years leading up to the Civil War, which was a watershed era for most early-19 century industrial communities. Production doubled each decade, peaking in 1865. In the 1860s Edwin Bartlett and Joseph Burroughs began. their development of the existing mills in North Oxford. They operated two cotton mills and two woolen mills strung out along the French River. Irish and French Canadian immigrants moved into North Oxford to fill positions in the factories, and a traditional industrial community developed in a linear arrangement along the east side of the river and the highway between North Oxford and Oxford Center that paralleled it. The site was divided into upper and lower sections by the Charlton Road (now Clara Barton Road) that originated at the highway and headed east, bridging the river between impoundments.
Economic growth slowed in the years following the Civil War. The value ofmanufactured goods increased by less than 10% in the 1870s whereas the decade before, it had increased by over 80%. A general depression in the textile industry was sorely felt in Oxford, but in the late 1880s the local economy had recovered and production continue to peak into the next century. It was during this period that the Providence, Webster & Springfield branch of the Boston & Albany Railroad was constructed along thewest side ofthe French River and through North Oxford. This event greatly increased the ability to get North Oxford's mill production to its markets. When a North Oxford Mills station was built on the Charlton Road, Edwin Bartlett petitioned the town of Oxford to build an iron bridge over the river between the mills and station.
Edwin Bartlett was born October 25, 1833 in Webster, Massachusetts. As a boy he attended neighboring Dudley. At the age of twenty-one he left Webster for Philadelphia where he worked in a wool store. He returned to Massachusetts the following year, and accepted a bookkeeping position at the Phelps mill in Fitchburg. In 1861 he was employed as an accountant for Chamberlain & Burroughs' woolen manufactory in North Oxford. In 1865 Bartlett acquired Chamberlain's half interest in the company, and the new partners added two new cotton mills to (continued) MPS Forme 10-900e (8-00 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number _ Page - OMB Approvel No. 1024-0016 BARTLETT'S BRIDGE Oxford (Worcester), Mass. the industrial corridor they controlled along the French River. Oscar F.
Chasejoined the partnership in 1870, and in 1874 Burroughs retired, selling his shares to Bartlett and Chase. The partnership dissolved in 1880 and its assets divided with Chase taking control of the woolen mills and Bartlett keeping the North Oxford cotton mills. Edwin Bartlett was a leading citizen in the town of Oxford, serving as.chairman of the board of selectmen, member of the school committee, town meeting moderator, and a member of the Society for Village Improvements. The Edwin Bartlett Company, incorporated in 1903, mainly produced cotton twine and yarn, and it was still in operation in 1930 under the direction of Bartlett's son. The town approved the petition in 1888, and began planning for a new bridge. A historic map indicates a bridge at this location as early as the 1830s, when mills were first established there.
It is possible that the same bridge, likely constructed of wood, still existed in 1888 and was inadequate to meet the increased traffic and heavy loads of freight heading towards the railroad station. At the 1889 town meeting it was voted to build "a stone arch bridge over the river near the depot there." Work on the structure began almost immediately. Civil engineer Charles A. Allen provided plans and specifications, and masons Peter F. and Michael Kenney, who were brothers, teamed up to construct the stonework. All were from the city of Worcester. Charles A. Allen had acquired his experience with stone construction working for different railroad companies in his youth and as a partner in an engineering firm specializing in civil projects, including bridges.
In 1878 Allen was appointed city engineer for Worcester and supervised many public projects, including the city's water and sewer systems. Peter F. Kenney advertised in Worcester's City Directories as a stone mason and contractor giving special attention to bridge work. Michael Kenney's advertisements described his work as heavy trucking, excavating, grading and stonework. The brothers could have divided their work on the project along similar lines, with Peter taking charge of the onstruction and Michael opening up a quarry adjacent to the building site, in reach of a derrick that could swing the hefty stones from the stone pit te the bridge. The bridge was completed six months later.
On September 18, 1889, the Oxford Mid- Weekly reported that "the arch is finished and the filling and ballasting and the grading of the approaches to the bridge, remain to be done." The town's annual report for that year documents that the bridge was completed for a total cost of just under $2200. The rationale for the town's approval of a stone arch bridge over the iron bridge that Bartlett requested is not recorded. However, a number of factors would have had a role in the consideration. As in other towns where stone was a prevalent building material, there was already a tradition for masonry bridges in Oxford that dated back to the early 19" century. Stone was accessible to the bridge site and had already been utilized in the construction of dams, foundations and at least one mill building downstream.
At a cost of just over $2000; the stone arch bridge probably exceeded any estimate the town would have received from an iron bridge fabricator. But the short 42-foot span would have warranted only a pony truss structure, which (continued) NPSFome 10800e United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number _ Page -4 OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 BARTLETT'S BRIDGE Oxford (Worcester), Mass. would not have compared favorably to the appearance of the stone structure. Bartlett and the town selectmen would have wanted to have a more ornamental structure as a gateway to the village. And, if heavy loads were going to be transported across the bridge from the mill to the depot, the stone option would have surely seemed more secure.
Finally, the county highway commissioners and engineer Charles Allen would have been following more professional design and engineering standards in their approach to the bridge. In spite of its rustic appearance, Bartlett's Bridge is not a vernacular structure. Not only was the engineer following formal models and methods in his plan, but he designed a complex and sophisticated aesthetic object as well. The stone is masterfully tooled and assembled. Finished stone is combined with rougher material to emphasize the craftsmanship inherent in the subtle work. It was a modern bridge made to have a picturesque effect in its setting. In addition to being a creative design solution for its time and place, Bartlett's Bridge anticipates the bridge standards introduced by the Massachusetts Highway Commission shortly after it was formed in 1893.
They issues the following opinion on highway bridges in their 1895 annual report: From any other point of view, except that of first cost, the stone bridge is much More satisfactory than any other; its durability is practically unlimited, it needs No careful inspection, it does not cause the interference with traffic which is Occasioned by the repairing or reconstruction of a metal bridge, and it is a far More agreeable element in the landscape. Bartlett's Bridge is a significant surviving example of bridge and highway history in Massachusetts. (end) Bartlett's Bridge Name of Property 10.
Geographical Data Acreage of property less than one UTM References (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet.) Worcester County, Massachusetts County and State 1 19 Zone 261790 Easting 4670775 Northing 3 Zone Easting Northing 2 4 See continuation sheet Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.) Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.) 11. Form Prepared By name/title Neil Larson, preservation consultant with Betsy Friedberg, NR director, MHC organization Massachusetts Historical Commission street & number 220 Morrissey Blvd.
city or town Boston state telephone MA dateDecember, 1999 617-727-5128 zip code 02125 Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: Continuation Sheets Maps A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. A Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Photographs Representative black and white photographs of the property.
Additional items (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) Property Owner (Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.) name Town of Oxford street & number Town Hall, Main Street city or town Oxford state telephone MA zip code 01540 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.470 et seq.) Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including time fo reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data and completing and reviewing the form.
Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this from to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Projects (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503. MPS Forme 10-900e United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet 9/10 Section number 1 Page - OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 BARTLETT'S BRIDGE Oxford (Worcester), Mass. 9. BIBLIOGRAPHY Atlas of Worcester County, Massachusetts. New York: F.W. Beers & Co., 1870. Daniels, George F. History of the Town of Oxford, Massachusetts. Oxford, 1892. Directory of Oxford and Auburn, Massachusetts. Hopkinton, Mass.: Foss, 1903. Hurd, D. Hamilton. History of Worcester County, Massachusetts. Philadelphia: J.W. Lewis & Co., 1889. Mclntyre, Sylvester.
Map of Oxford, 1831. Marvin, A.B., et al. History of Worcester County, Massachusetts. Boston: Jewett, 1879. Massachusetts Department of Public Works. Bridge Files (Bridge 0-6-4). Massachusetts Highway Commission. Annual reports. Nason, Elias. A Gazetteer of the State of Massachusetts. Revised by George J. Varney. Boston: Russell, 1890. New Topographical Atlas of the County of Worcester, Massachusetts. Philadelphia: Richards & Co., 1898. Obituary of Peter F. Kenney. Worcester [MA] Evening Gazette, July 29, 1918, p. 2. Oxford, Massachusetts. Town Archives, Annual Reports, 1880-1890. Rice, Franklin P. The Worcester of Eighteen Hundred and Ninety-Eight. Worcester: Blanchard, 1899. Worcester City Directories, 1867-1921). Worcester Historical Society. (end) 10. GEOGRAPHICAL DATA Verbal Boundary Description The nominated property boundary is delineated on the attached assessor's map of Oxford.
Boundary Justification The nominated property consists only of the bridge and its abutments; it is only the area that has been historically associated with the bridge.
(end) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Bartlett's Bridge NAME : MULTIPLE NAME : STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Worcester DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 1/11/00 2/09/00 REFERENCE NUMBER: 00000077 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 1/24/00 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 2/25/00 REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N OTHER : N PDIL: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: N N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: N N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: N COMMENT WAIVER: N VACCEPT RETURN REJECT 2/10/00 DATE ABSTRACT/ SUMMARY COMMENTS : RECOM./CRITERIA REVIEWER TELEPHONE_ DISCIPLINE DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N O8d 13dVd TYNOISS33Q8d Baet lettis BRidge Naeth Oxfoed, MA.
Claßa Baeton Road (a.ka Taft Hill ld.) daye ne demente, Mlay 1994 Oxfoed HestoRiad Commission Phatogrape 1/2 Dorth face|Elcvation, camila faczs so 13dVd BIdVdo TVNOISSHJONd 83dVd pepox 13dVd 31aVdS TVNOISS31ONd 3aVd 1aldyd e N1dVd TVNOISS3102d 13dVds 1VNO 13dVd e 11ldVd e 43dVd Bastletts Beidgs, Claza Baston Road Cak.a. Taft Hll &d. Doste Oxford, MA dojez il clementi, Nay 1994 Oxtoed fistoRied Commiitión P hotgraph 212 Souta faue(eleoation; camiRa facro 2061 A0 FOR TAX PURPOSES ONLY NOT TO BE USED FOR CONVEYANCE GENERAL MAPPING INC. Younewme. Po. 13897 89.3 1350 FRENCH RIVER 18 (A) TOWNE OSTATID EXEMPT TOWN OF OXFORC LEGEND 74.69 207 00 1 B 7B EXEMPY TOWN OF OXFORT WOODWARD SCHOOL 1 SAC. CAL EXEMFT OIOCESE OF WORCESTEF (ST.
ANN'S CHURCH) 273(5J -73SI 306.* E XEMPT - ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF WORCESTER REVISIONS 21.4AC f8:000 REVISED & REPRINTEO RY CARTO GRAPHIC ASSOCIATES, INC. LITTLETON NH 03561 TOWN OF OXFORD BOARD oF ASSESSORS OXFORD, MASS. ONIN( LEGEND DIIPAL. RESTDENTIAL DISTRICI SUBURRAN DISTRICT RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT KULTI-PAHILY DISTRICI CENTRAL RUSTNRES DISTRIC. & PROFLSSTONAL DISTRICI HIGHHAY INTRRCHANGP DISTRICT CENTRAL PROPESSIONALDISTRICT LIGHT INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT INDUSTRIAL DISTRICI AIRPORT DISTRICT OVERLAY CONSERUATION DISTRYG MAP NO. IIA DATE, AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY. 4-27-74 DATE, MAP: 9-1-78 PHOTO NO: 3-24 8 7-64 SCALE- I' 100' National Register of Historic Places Nomination-accompanying documentation Bartlett's Bridge North Oxford, MA. 01540.
TNDE FETTTCHLAS The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts Historical Commission January 6, 2000 Ms. Carol Shull National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service Mail Stop 2280, Suite 400 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20240 Dear Ms. Shull: Enclosed please find the following nomination form: Bartlett's Bridge, Oxford (Worcester Co.) MA The nomination has been voted eligible by the State Review Board and has been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. The owners of the property were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30 to 45 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment.
Sincerely, betay Krediere Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission enclosure CC: Jean O'Reilly, Chair, Oxford Historical Commission John Saad, Chair, Oxford Board of Selectmen Joyce Clements, Oxford Historical Commission Joseph Zeneski, Planning Board Comm. Matthew J. Amorello, Massachusetts Highway Department 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 - (617) 727-8470 Fax: (617) 727-5128 - TDD: 1-800-392-6090 www.state.ma.us/sec/mbc
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