History
According to the Federal Writer's Project in 1977:
A ferry was established in 1640 at this point, probably the first regular ferry to be commissioned in Rhode Island. It was locally referred to as Howland's Ferry, but was also called Pocasset Ferry, Sanford's Ferry and Wanton's Ferry. It was run by the Howland family from about 1703 to 1776. The ferry-right was sold to the Rhode Island Bridge Company in 1794, and a wooden bridge was built and opened the next year, though it was not steadily in use until 1810. The present steel bridge was constructed by the State in 1907."
During the Battle of Rhode Island in the American Revolution, American troops retreated from the British near this spot. The Stone Bridge approaches are still visible from either side as of 2008. The approaches are on Park Avenue in Portsmouth and at a park in Tiverton off Main Road (RI 77).
Read more about this topic: Stone Bridge (Rhode Island)
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.”
—Karl Marx (1818–1883)
“To a surprising extent the war-lords in shining armour, the apostles of the martial virtues, tend not to die fighting when the time comes. History is full of ignominious getaways by the great and famous.”
—George Orwell (1903–1950)
“What has history to do with me? Mine is the first and only world! I want to report how I find the world. What others have told me about the world is a very small and incidental part of my experience. I have to judge the world, to measure things.”
—Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951)