Major Bibliographical References Bibilography (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 X 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: # Massachusetts Historical Commission - recorded by Historic American Engineering Massachusetts Highway Department Record #MA-105 Golden Hill Bridge Name of Property Berkshire County, MA County and State 10.
Geographical Data less than one acre Acreage of Property UTM References (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet.) 1 18 Zone 6 41 Easting 8, 3, 0 46/86 760 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 Lee Historical Commission with Betsy Friedberg, National Register Director, MHC name/title Massachusetts Historical Commission December 1993 organization _ date 80 Boylston Street (617) 727-8470 street & number. Boston telephone MA 02116 city or town Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: state . zip code 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 atthe request of SHPO or FPO.) Town of Lee name_ street & number _ Memorial Hall, 32 Main Street Lee city or town - telephone state MA _ zip code 01238 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement:This informationisbeing collected forapplications tothe 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 18.1hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form 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. OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 Nrorom IU-SVU-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Golden Hill Bridge Section number _, 8 Page 2,t Lee (Berkshire County) Massachusetts A "tension floor-line chord" (according to Douglas' patent) in the form of a wrought-iron rod is bolted The I-shaped floor beams taper, their deepest point at the center of the bridge and their shallowest at the exterior edges. The floor beams hang from the lower chord panel points by U-shaped rods joined to the connecting pins. The lower lateral rods bolt to the floor beams. The stringers are modern, steel I-beams running the length of the bridge. The roadway is Irving open steel grid deck.
Archaeological Description While no prehistoric sites are known which abut the bridge or are present in the general area (within one mile), it is possible that sites are present. The western end of the bridge abut, a sleep-sided knoll which, with its close proximity to the Housatonic River indicates locationally favorable criteria for prehistoric sites. In general, however, the potential for significant prehistoric survivals seems low because of disturbances relating to construction of bridge footings on both shorelines. The overall potential for significant historic period survivals is also low. Builders features relating to construction of the bridge footings may be present, however, these resources are probably of marginal research interest and importance. (end) 8.
SIGNIFICANCE: The Golden Hill Bridge, Lee, Massachusetts, as known as the Tuttle Bridge is an 81-foot long, single- span, lenticular pony truss manufactured by one of New England's most prolific iron bridge builders, the Berlin Iron Bridge Company. Between 1878 and 1895 the company erected well over 600 lenticular trusses in New England and Upstate New York, and at least 50 are known to survive. The Golden Hill Bridge is the oldest lenticular pony truss surviving in Massachusetts. The Golden Hill Bridge makes use of William O. Douglas's 1885 patented floor-line tension chords, an improvement upon the lenticular truss design first patented by Douglas in 1878. The Golden Hill Bridge shows few signs of alteration and is in a fair state of condition.
According to the Massachusetts Highway Department's Historic Bridge Inventory, it is one of ten remaining lenticular truss highway bridges in Massachusetts and one of the few still in active use. The bridge fulfills National Register criterion C on the local level. (continued) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 (NPSFm 10-900-a United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page Golden Hill Bridge Lee (Berkshire County) Massachusetts History A number of amateur and professional historians have written about the history of lenticular trusses. The lenticulars' association with a single manufacturer, their predominance in the towns of New England andupstate New York, and their aesthetically pleasing form have made the truss a popular subject among bridge enthusiasts.
Between 1878 and 1895, the Berlin Iron Bridge Company built well over 600 bridges in the Northeast. At least 50 of these trusses survive today. According to the Massachusetts Historic Bridge Inventory prepared by the Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD), the Golden Hill Bridge is one of ten remaining lenticular trusses in the state. Built in 1885, it is a rare example of a structural type that once predominated among the iron truss bridges of Western Massachusetts. Lenticular trusses came in a variety of sizes and configurations. They ranged from 20 feet to over 200 feet in length, and could be designed as either pony, through, half-through, or deck trusses. Through trusses, such as the North Adams, Lowell, and Shelburne Bridges (HAER Nos. MA-98, 106, 109) and pony trusses, such as the Golden Hill Bridge, were by far the lenticular's most popular forms.
When the Corrugated Metal Company, the forerunner of the Berlin Iron Bridge Company, began building trusses in the late 1870s, the lenticular form had been known for a number of years. Lenticular trusses had been built in 1840 in France, in 1857 in Germany, and in 1859 in England. Patents for bridges of the lenticular-truss type had been granted in the United States to Edwin Stanley in 1851 and to Horace Harvey and Robert Osborne in 1855. Considering these earlier structures and patents, historians have considered it odd that the United States Patent Office granted William O. Douglas a patent for lenticular trusses in 1878. Douglas was a West Point graduate and a disabled veteran of the Civil War. He had spent some time in the Reconstruction government of Texas and moved back to his hometown, Binghamton, New York, to open a hardware business, which failed in 1877.
Shortly thereafter, Douglas took out his patent on the lenticular truss and entered into business with the new owner of the corrugated Metal Company of East Berlin, Connecticut. It is not known where Douglas received the inspiration for his patent; it may have been as an engineering student at the U.S. Military Academy, although historian Victor Darnell believes that Douglas developed his ideas in East Berlin without any knowledge of European usage or earlier American patents (V. Darnell, "Lenticular Bridges from East Berlin, Connecticut," Industrial Archaeology, v. 5 [1979], pp 19-27). The Corrugated Metal Company had descended from a series of firms that had specialized in tinner's tools and machines, and corrugated iron for buildings. When an entrepreneur named S. C. Wilcox took over the firm in 1877, it was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Wilcox reorganized the company, obtained the rights to Douglas's bridge patent, and began building lenticular trusses. In 1883, Wilcox renamed the enterprise the Berlin Iron Bridge Company. (continued) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 (NPS Fom 10-900-. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 3 Golden Hill Bridge Lee (Berkshire County) Massachusetts In the late nineteenth century, dozens of engineers experimented with a wide variety of bridge designs The keys to the firm's success were sixfold. First, the elegant lenticular design with its parabolic chords combined the known strengths of an arch and a suspension bridge; this eliminated the need for heavy, expensive abutments.
Second, the firm specialized in highway bridges, and thus could afford to ignore the more demanding load requirements of the railroads. Third, the manufacturer trimmed production costs by making a single type of truss that required a set of standard parts. Fourth, salesmen aggressively pursued contracts with nearby towns that were just beginning to replace older wooden structures with iron bridges. Fifth, with lower production, transportation, and erection costs, the company could underbid many of its competitors from Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. And sixth, the company promised to erect bridges within 90 days. Guided by Wilcox's entrepreneurial skill, the Berlin Iron Bridge Company's product, marketing technique, and price were designed to appeal to the selectmen and bridge committees who purchased new iron bridges for the towns of New England.
In the 1870s, a new iron truss bridge of substantial length cost little more than a new wooden bridge. When it came time to replace an older bridge that had been washed away in a flood, or had simply worn out, a town's citizens often chose to buy an iron truss rather than to continue the tradition of hiring local craftsmen to erect a wooden trestle or covered bridge. A wooden bridge may have spanned the Housatonic River at the site of the Golden Hill Bridge as early as the 1790s. A 1796 map appears to show a bridge near the present location. The earliest written report of the Tuttle Bridge is in the 1863 edition of the Reports of the Town of Lee. In that year, the selectmen commented that the abutment needed repairing. In 1866 the town paid T. D. Thatcher, a local millwright, to rebuild the bridge at a cost of $1,000.
The Golden Hill Bridge in Lee provided local farmers a convenient crossing of the Housatonic River to the main road between Lee and Pittsfield to the North. Local newspapers often reviewed the conditions of the roads and bridges prior to town meetings. The Valley Gleaner, Lee's newspaper, reported on April 1, 1885, that "The Tuttle [Golden Hill] bridge is not a very stable affair and it is probable the town will see fit to make some appropriation therefor [sic]." Twenty years was an average lifespan for an uncovered wooden bridge, and it is probable that the 1866 bridge had worn out.
The following week at Lee's town meeting, Wellington Smith, a prominent citizen and owner of the Smith Mill's Paper Company, located downstream from the Golden Hill Bridge, made the motion to raise $2,000 to erect a "first class iron bridge." The town meeting passed Smith's motion and the (continued) NPS For 10-900-2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Golden Hill Bridge Section number 8 Page Lee (Berkshire County) Massachusetts selectmen received the authority to enter into a contract with the bridge manufacturer they felt most fit to complete the work.
On April 22, 1885, only two weeks after the town meeting, a notice to bridge builders appeared in the Valley Gleaner: Proposals will be received by the selectmen of the town of Lee at their rooms in Lee, Mass., on the first day of May next, at 2 o'clock p.m. for the building of a bridge of about 87 feet span and 14 feet width across the Housatonic River in said town. Further information will be given at that time. The system of selecting a builder favored those companies that had local agents and could send representatives to meet with the town officers on short notice. J. A. L.
Waddell, a prominent nineteenth-century bridge engineer, charged that these informal meetings either led to collusion between corrupt bridge salesmen and politicians, or to the contract being let to the salesman who "impressed the most falsehoods upon the understandings of the honest farmers," who also performed the duties of town officers. The result, according to Waddell, was usually an inferior and cheap sort of iron truss. In New England, the Berlin Iron Bridge Company may have put to rest the doubts local officials had about choosing a manufacturer by building a reputation for inexpensive and well-designed bridges. On May 1, 1885, a number of bridge builders gathered in the town offices to pitch their proposals to the town selectmen. On May 13, the newspaper announced that the selectmen had elected to give the contract to the Berlin company for $943, the lowest bid received.
Construction began at once. The town hired a contractor to remove the old bridge, and the abutment needed only minor repairs. A local stone mason, Patrick Shea, received $24 for his labor. Shortly thereafter, a construction team arrived from Berlin by railroad with the bridge. According to Darnell, the company had up to 30 erection crews that traveled the countryside during the spring, summer, and fall laying the falsework and assembling the lenticular trusses. A medium-size span such as the Golden Hill Bridge could be in place within a few weeks. On July 7, 1885, the new bridge opened for travel after less than two months of work. The Valley Gleaner reported "[The Golden Hill Bridge] is a very handsome and substantial structure and will prove a good investment for the town." The total cost was $1,166.01, including the expense of lumber for the falsework and bridge deck.
An unusual feature of the Golden Hill Bridge was the "tension floor-line chord" that ran from the footing of each end post to the end post on the opposite bank. The Berlin Iron Bridge Company probably had begun adding the floor-line chord to some of its bridges in 1884. Douglas applied for a patent for the floor-line chord in October of that year, stating that it resisted the effect of the wind or other forces acting laterally against the bridge. The longer lenticular trusses, rarely wider than sixteen (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number - 8 Page. 5 Golden Hill Bridge Lee (Berkshire County) Massachusetts OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 heavier members.
The Golden Hill Bridge is the only of five remaining lenticular pony truss in the MHD Historic Bridge Inventory that has the floor-line chord. Darnell is skeptical that the chord served much of a structural purpose, and claims that when Douglas combined the floor-line chord with the inclined strut, such as in the North Adams Bridge (HAER No. MA-109), he may have actually reduced the truss's lateral stiffness. Darnell estimates that only about one-third of the Berlin Iron Bridge Company's trusses built after 1885 made use of Douglas's second patent. Weaknesses in lateral stability were not the only reason for the decline of the lenticular truss.
Waddell reported in 1916 that design and production flaws eventually led engineers to reject the design: The objections to the lenticular truss are its want of economy of metal, the difficulty involved in bracing the trusses laterally, and the extra expense in manufacturing due to the many varying lengths of its main members ... To the layman its appearance may often be more pleasing than that of the ordinary American bridge; but to the initiated engineer its evident extravagance of material and shopwork is sufficient cause for its condemnation. In addition to engineering inefficiencies, by the mid-1890s most of New England's wooden bridges had been replaced, and the Berlin Company's business had dwindled.
The builder phased out the lenticular design in favor of more heavily constructed Warren trusses, but met with little success Although the firm had salesmen in the Midwest, the cost of transportation probably prevented the lenticular trusses from effectively competing against other bridge manufacturers. In 1900, the Berlin Iron Bridge Company, along with twenty five other regional bridge makers, merged with the American Bridge Company. The age of the automobile marked the beginning of the end for the lenticular trusses. Not only did the bridges met their end when an auto or truck rammed the end post (B. Drew, Spanning Berkshire Waterways [Great Barrington, MA: Attic Revivals Press, 1990]). Throughout the twentieth century, steel and concrete bridges replaced lenticular trusses, which finally proved inadequate to the volume or weight of modern vehicles.
(continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) nited States Department or te nter ational Park servic National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number _8,9 Page -6, 1 Golden Hill Bridge Lee (Berkshire County) Massachusetts The Golden Hill Bridge was a rare survivor in the automobile age. In the 1940s, a developer built a colony of low-cost ranch houses to the east of the bridge, significantly increasing the number of automobiles crossing the truss. Occasional floods threatened the bridge, but amazingly little damage occurred. In 1965, the Irving open steel grid deck was added; five years later, the Massachusetts Highway Department replaced the bridge's stringers with steel I-beams and laid down an open steel grid deck roadway.
In 1990, repairs were made to the guardrail, which had become loose, and an additional piece of metal was added to the grid deck to prevent runoff from Golden Hill Road from washing away the bridge abutments. Despite these alterations, the bridge's overall integrity has Today, the bridge shows signs of wear, the end post caps have cracked, and the posts themselves incline outward. OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 (end) 9. MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Patrick Harshbarger, "Tuttle Bridge (Golden Hill Road Bridge or Shea's Crossing), Historic American Engineering Record (MA-105), 1990. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Letter from Massachusetts Historical Commission, June 12, 1987, MDPW report of S. J. Roper, Historical Bridge Specialist. Darnell, Victor, "Lenticular Bridges from East Berlin, Connecticut." Industrial Archaeology, Vol. 5 (1979), pp. 19-27.
Drew, Bernard A., Spanning Berkshire Waterways, A Personal Excursion into the History of Metal Truss Highway Bridge Construction in Western New England 1865-1905, Attic Revival Press, Journal for the Society of Industrial Archaeology, Vol. 5, Number 1, 1979. Lee town Report for year ending March 6, 1885. Lee Town Report for year ending March 6, 1886. United States Patent Office-BRIDGE-Application filed October 18, 1884 by William O. Douglas (continued) (PSForm 10-900-2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Golden Hill Bridge Section number 9,10 Page 2, 1 Lee (Berkshire County) Massachusetts Valley Gleaner, Printed weekly in Lee, MA, newspaper articles of April 6, 15, 22, 1885 May 13, 1885 July 8, 1885 July 15, 1885 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 (end) 10.
GEOGRAPHICAL DATA Verbal Boundary Description See attached map. Verbal Boundary Justification The present nomination is limited to the bridge and its abutments; none of the surrounding land is included in this nomination. (end) iNP8Fom 10-900-a United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number Page - SUPPLEMENTARY LISTING RECORD NRIS Reference Number: 93001592 Date Listed: 2/9/94 Golden Hill Bridge Berkshire MA Property Name: County: State: OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Multiple Name This property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places in accordance with the attached nomination documentation subject to the tollowing exceptions, exclusions, or amendments, notwithstanding the National Park Service certification included in the nomination documentation. fatuck W.
Andues for signature of the Keeper 2/18/94 Date of Action =55552- Amended Items in Nomination: The Area of Significance for this property is changed to Engineering to reflect the National Register Criterion (C) under which it is nominated and Transportation is deleted as an Area of Significance.
nomination is Friciailcomendedin these changes and the DISTRIBUTION: atinaa1g Ajster py perth ut homination attachment) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Golden Hill Bridge NAME: MULTIPLE NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Berkshire DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 12/30/93 1/27/94 DATE OF PENDING LIST: DATE OF 45TH DAY: 1/11/94 2/13/94 REFERENCE NUMBER: 93001592 NOMINATOR: STATE REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N OTHER: N PDIL: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N N LANDSCAPE: N PERIOD: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: N N N COMMENT WAIVER: N V ACCEPT RETURN REJECT 2/9/94 DATE ABSTRACT/ SUMMARY COMMENTS: Race suniring example f a late 19th century lenticular truas brdge. RECOM.
/CRITERIA decfit C REVIEWER atrich Avdlus DISCIPLINE Nistouar DATE 2/9/97 DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N CLASSIFICATION -count resource type STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION FUNCTION -historic - current DESCRIPTION _architectural classification materials descriptive text SIGNIFICANCE Period Areas of Significance--Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) summary paragraph _completeness _clarity _applicable criteria _justification of areas checked _relating significance to the resource _context _relationship of integrity to significance _justification of exception _other BIBLIOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHICAL DATA - acreage _UTMs _verbal boundary description boundary justification ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION/PRESENTATION -sketch maps.
USGS maps -photographs presentation OTHER COMMENTS Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Phone Signed. Date GOLDEN BRIDGE LTOTTLE GOLDEN HILL RDAD LEE, MASSACHUSETTS PHOTOGRA PHER -DAN SOULES - MAY I LiCATIOH DE NEGATIVES - LEE LiBRARY, LEE DATE DF INSTALLATIDH ON END: POST- POST-" NOTE: IRViNG GRID DECK HIS PAPER ANUFACTURED KODAK THIS PAPER MANUFACTUREO KODAN I THIS PAPEN MAN LUFAC TURED KODAK THIS PAPER MANUFACTUA KODA THIS PAPER MANUFACTURED BY KODAK THIS PAPER MANUFAC TUR KOPA GOLDEN.
HILL BRIDGE LTOT GOLDEN HILL ROAD LEK MASSACHO SETTS PHOTDGRAPHER - DAN SOULES - MAY LOCATION OF NEGATIÜS - LEE LIBRARY, LEE 2 of VIEN 6E NORTH SIDE DF BRID NOTE: END: POST ON RIÓHT / GOLDEN HILL BRIDGE A GOLDEN HILL ROAD LEE, MASSACHUSETTS PHOTOGRAPHER-DAN SOULES -MA LOCATIOH OF NEGATIVES - LEE LIBRARY, LE #3 BF SOUTH SIDE UIEW PAPER KODAN HIS PAPER ANUFACTUA KODA HIS PAPER ANUFACTURED KODAK THIS PAPER MANUFAGTURED BY KODAK GOLDEN HILL BRIDGE (TOT GOLDEN HILL ROAD LEE, MASSACHUGETTS PHODGRAPHER - DAN SOULES - MAY 1992 LOCATIÖN DF NESATIVES - LEE LIBRARY, LEE VIEN DR EAST END-Lookixe NOTE: "188S" OH RIGHT END DI GOLDEN HILL BRIDGE (TOTME BRIDED) GOLDEN HILL ROAD LEE, MASSACHOSETTS PHODGRAPHER - DAN SDULES - MAY 1992 LOCATIÖH DF NEGATIVES- LEE LIBRARY, LEE #5 VIEW OF WEST END LOKING EAST NOTE: 12" PIECE OF METAL ON GRiD DECK GOLDEN HILL BRIDGE CTUTLE BRiO GOLDEN HILL ROAD LEE, MASSACHUSETTS PHOTOGRAPHER - DAN SOULES- MAY 1992 LUCATIÖN SE NEGATIVES - LEE LIBRARY, LEE o 7 OLD BRIDGE RBUTMENT LEE MARBLE THIS MANUFA KODAN URED OAK # GOLDEN HLL BRIDGE (TOTRE BRIDGE) GOLDEN HH ROAD LEE, MASSACHUSETTS PAPE LUFACTUREO KODAK PHOTBGRAPHER_ DAN SOULES - MAY, 1992 LOCATION.
IF NEGATIVES- LEE LIBRARY, LEE OTURED THIS KODAK -KODAK KOD THIS DETAIL THIS MANUF MANUFACT KOD KODAK of / UFACTURSO KODAK THIS MANUFAGTU KODAK BRIDGE PARER MANUFACTURED KODAX THIS PAF MANUFACTURED KODAKI ME CONSTRUCTION. KODAK MANUFAG KODAK Golden Hill Bridge Golden Hill Road Lee (Berkshire County) Massachusetts LENOX LEE 81.6 AC. (4) RA 95 AcS 8.I AcS 8.7 ACS HOUSATONIC L.8 AcS 229M.1). 2.0 Acs 2.1Ac6 (19) ® 5597 R 2E ARS 1.IAC. (0) 102. TOWN OF LEE "BRADLEY ST. SCHOOL" (EXEMPT) So.9AcS 100% CODDINd BB00K - RESERVOIRE SEE FERSHEET #8A :OLIV! () Z *° () 4,0 0.992 AG 6.7 Acs ASSESSORS' MAPS TOWN - O TI BERESHIRE COUNTI, MASS. APRIL 1976 BROWN, MOYNIHAN & ASSOCIATES, INC. ENGINCERS A LANO SURVEYORS (2) 419 424 60 47 M3 1132 Ac CODDING RESERVOIR COCDING VANETTI RESERVOR RA (BO REVISEO REPRINTEO BY CARTOGRAPHIC ASSOCIATES, INC.
LITTLETONNH 03561 1:2400 Revised To January 1.1991 Missing Core Documentation Property Name Golden Hill Bridge County, State Berkshire, Massachusetts Reference Number 93001592 The following Core Documentation is missing from this entry: _Nomination Form _ Photographs () X USGS Map The bommonwealth of Massachusetts House of Representatives Ftate House, Boston 02133-1053 CHRISTOPHER J. HODGKINS 4TH BERKSHIRE DISTRICT Nov. 17, 1993 Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission 80 Boylston Boston, MA 02116 Chairma State Administratio ROOM 34, STATE HOUSE TEL. (617) 722-2320 DISTRICT OFFICE RECEIVED" (43)2430289 NOV 2 4 1993 MASS. HIST. COMM. Dear Ms. Frieberg, I would like to offer my enthusiastic support to the Lee Historical Commission's bid to have the Golden Hill Bridge in Lee designated as an historic site on the National Register.
Built in 1885, the Golden Hill Bridge is the oldest of five lenticular pony truss bridges in Massachusetts. Its design is unique to those five employing engineering techniques that were seldom used. The bridge was patented by William O. Douglas in 1885 and was built by the Berlin Iron Bridge Co. of East Berlin, CT. The abuttments are constructed from iron carved out of the former Lee iron quarries. In addition to its historic characteristics, the 81-foot-long bridge is an extremely handsome structure spanning one of the most scenic sections of the Housatonic River. Its appearance complements many of the other historic structures and buildings that Lee boasts. It is an architectural feature that speaks to the heritage of Lee and its residents. The bridge is a source of pride that is more than worthy of the National Registry designation.
I very much look forward to the Massachusetts Historical Commission's scrutiny of the town's application. I am sure you concur on the designation. If you have any questions on this matter, please do not hesitate to cont Printed on Recycled Paper Mau kKfauni December 22, 1993 Carol Shull National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service Washington, DC 20013-7127 Dear Ms. Shull: Enclosed please find the following nomination form: Golden Hill Bridge, Golden Hill Road, Lee (Berkshire County), Massachusetts, 01238. The nomination has been voted eligible by the State Review Board and has been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. The owner was notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30-75 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity Enclosed is a letter from State Representative Christopher J.
Hodgkins, supporting the nomination. Sincerely, Boctay Ferberllerg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission RECEIVED 413 UEU v O 1993 enclosure CC: Charlotte Davis & Mary Morrissey, Lee Historical Commission' Daniel Soules, Chairman, Lee Historical Commission Michael Swanson, Chief Engineer, MHD Joseph Dupont, Chairman, Lee Board of Selectmen Georgia Massucco, Librarian, Lee Library Association Massachusetts Historical Commission 80 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116 (617) 727-8470 Office of the Secretary of State, Michael J. Connolly, Secretary
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