Granite Keystone Bridge

Description of the property

The Granite Keystone Bridge, the bound between Rockport and the village of Pigeon Cove, is a part of Route 127 to Annisquam and Gloucester. Built in 1872, the bridge is constructed of dressed and coursed granite blocks taken from the adjacent quarry. Beneath the bridge is a short roadway connecting that quarry with the Granite Pier on the ocean side of Route 127. The single arch of the Granite Bridge spans 65 feet and is 32 feet wide.

Several contemporary newspaper accounts remarked on the massive construction and appearance of The "Rockport Gleaner" of September, 1872 reported that: "The seven huge trusses of the Granite Company's stone bridge at Pigeon Cove have been put in position, and already the courses of heavy blocks of stone (native granite from the nearby quarry) are gradually creeping upward at each end to unite in the centre forming the strongest and most graceful structure known to architecture." The Cape Ann Advertiser of October 4, 1872, had this to say: "A Nice Piece of Workman- ship. The stone bridge over the Granite Company's tunnel is nearly completed, the last key-stones of the arch having been adjusted last Saturday.

The arch presents a very fine appearance, and when it shall hang unsupported, will piease the eye with its curve of beauty and strength. It is the widest span of stone arch ever constructed by its experienced builder, Mr. [Jonathan] Pratt, and one of the largest in the State, being a span of sixty-five feet. A stereoscopic picture is to be taken of it, from the entrance to the cut, which will be quite an addition to the already large stock of Cape Ann views." 8.

Statement of significance

(in one paragraph) Builder/Architect Jonathan Pratt of Quincy, Massachusetts The Granite Keystone Bridge possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship. It is a notable reminder of Rockport's early, industrial base and a locally significant accomplishment of late-nineteenth century civil engineering, and thus meets criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the town of Rockport was widely known for its granite quarries. Cut granite from Rockport was used in buildings, public structures, and street paving in cities all along the country's eastern and southern coasts.

The Flat Ledge Quarry, behind the Granite Bridge, was one of the largest areas exploited by the local granite industry; it was worked by owner William Torrey as early as grerate nssetry, t a 1830. The granite was hauled by oxen down hill to the Knowlton pier at the corner of Beach Street for shipment. Later, the Rockport Granite Company built the Western Wharf and the long pile (now known as Granite Pier) on the ocean side of Granite Street opposite the quarry. Here vessels of all sizes -- from sloops, scows, and lighters to three-and- four-masted schooners--were able to moor immediately adjacent to the piles of stone gathered for transport.

On the wharves were sheds in which the stone was cut and prepared, and nearby were the stone crusher and the boiler which furnished steam for the hoisting engine. During the 1860's business had increased to such an extent that the Rockport Granite Company needed to prepare a quick means of conveying granite from the quarry to the piers.

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