NEW SALEM – State officials and members of the Friends of the Quabbin gathered Thursday afternoon to celebrate completion of the work on the historic Keystone Bridge at Quabbin Reservoir Gate 30.
Friends Treasurer Paul Godfrey, who acted as clerk of the works on the project, told those in attendance that in 2021, he was made aware by Orange residents Janice and Randy Stone that several stones had fallen out of the road that leads up to the arch of the bridge. As a result, the bridge was closed to the public.
Godfrey explained that three options regarding the future of the bridge were considered.
“One was to ignore the whole thing….But that presented a huge liability. The second was to…tear this one down and put a culvert in,” he said. “The third was to take the bridge out completely.”
Instead, it was decided to repair the bridge to preserve its history and allow the public to continue using it.
Instead of seeking state funding to undertake the project, which would have created delays, Godfrey explained, the Friends decided to take on the task of raising the funds necessary. This resulted in the Friends raising more than $120,000 to underwrite the project and, “over a two-month period, repairs were made to stabilize the bridge using stone and other materials sourced from within the Quabbin watershed.”
Godfrey told the Athol Daily News that the total cost of the project came to about $106,000.
The masonry work was done by Michael Weitzner of Brattleboro, Vermont, in collaboration with Curtis Construction Services of Brookfield. The state Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Division of Water Supply Protection provided “in-kind support, such as engineering assistance and site monitoring by wildlife biologists,” according to a release.
A statement from the Friends explained that the bridge, which spans the middle branch of the Swift River, was constructed in 1866 by Civil War veteran Adolphus Porter to carry traffic along the Orange-Millington Road over the river. The technique used to build the bridge “relies entirely on gravity to hold the stone arch in place”, said the release. No mortar was used in the construction.
“The Quabbin has such a great history, along with the people who have cared for the Quabbin over generations, like many of you here,” said state Sen. Jo Comerford at Thursday’s ceremony.
Because of its importance to the Commonwealth, she said, it was important “to keep the history of this beautiful place alive. It’s quite the triumph, made possible by the partnership between the DCR by so many people and the Friends of Quabbin. The dedication you show is really unmatched and it is inspiring to me.”
State Rep. Aaron Saunders said that the bridge repair is an urgent reminder of the state’s enduring responsibility to the Quabbin region.
“The deal that was made at the time, and not with everyone’s agreement, was that if the Quabbin was going to disincorporate four towns, our region was going to be able to preserve the memory, the artifacts, that we were going to have access to this land in perpetuity,” he said. “This is another reminder, in cooperation with DCR, of how important that is to our region and how important that is to the entire Commonwealth.”
DCR Commissioner Nicole LaChapelle called the work of the Friends of the Quabbin “just amazing.” She said the collaboration between the organization and the state was a model partnership.
“When we talk about DCR stepping in and staying in, it was really because of all the volunteers and your vision,” she said. “And I love workaround of not depending on the state to get this done.
“I think about hikers who will be coming into this area and happen upon a very special bridge,” she added. “I would expect it would have an impact on how blessed and beautiful this land is.”