Keystone Bridge "A" - Middlefield, MA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 42° 18.530 W 073° 00.859
18T E 663655 N 4685975
Keystone Bridge "A" is the westernmost intact stone arch railroad bridge along the Keystone Arch Bridge Trail in Middlefield, MA. The parking area is off Middlefield Road in Chester, MA.
Waymark Code: WM14CCB
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 06/10/2021
Views: 1
The Keystone Arch Bridges are a series of stone arch bridges built to allow railroad traffic to cross the steep gorges of the Westfield River in the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts on their way to reach the Erie Canal in New York State. The bridges were constructed by West Point graduate Major George Washington Whistler and William Gibbs McNeill. They were built without mortar or steel reinforcement and are the oldest railroad bridges of their kind in the United States.
The construction of the Keystone Arch Bridge trail has made several of these bridges accessible to the public. There are four bridges, three of which can be easily reached: Keystone Bridge "A", Keystone Bridge "B" and the Double Arch Keystone Bridge. There is no public access to Keystone Bridge "C".
The westernmost bridge on Keystone Arch trail is the majestic 70' high Keystone Bridge "A". It was built in 1840-1841 by the Western Railroad to connect Worcester, MA to and W. Stockbridge at the Massachusetts-New York state line where it connected with the Albany and West Stockbridge Railroad. The bridges were a key link in the first trunk line completed in the United States.
The Keystone Arch Bridge District is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Length of bridge: 160 ft
Height of bridge: 70 ft
What type of traffic does this bridge support?: hikers
What kind of gap does this bridge cross?:
Westfield River
Date constructed: 1840
Is the bridge still in service for its original purpose?: no
Name of road or trail the bridge services: Keystone Arch Bridge Trail
Location:
Middlefild, MA
Hampshire County
Massachusetts
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Visit Instructions:
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