Home / Accueil

Florenceville Bridge

Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick, E7L, Canada

Formally Recognized: 2009/03/31

Looking east; Town of Florenceville-Bristol
Florenceville Bridge
Looking east, historic image; Collection of Mr. Fred Phillips
Florenceville Bridge
No Image

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1911/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2009/05/15

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Florenceville Bridge is a combination steel-truss span and wooden covered bridge that crosses the Saint John River. The bridge, a prominent feature of Florenceville-Bristol, is 49.9 metres long and links East Florenceville to West Florenceville.

Heritage Value

The Florenceville Bridge is designated a Local Historic Place because it represents a significant moment in the growth and development of the former village of Florenceville. Prior to the construction of the original bridge in 1885, movement between the east and west sides of Florenceville were dependent on ferry travel. The first post office and the commercial section of the village were situated on the west side of the river, however, over time, the business centre migrated to the east side. The construction of the bridge signified that the need of villagers to cross the river frequently and at will became greater than the ferry could accommodate. The present bridge, built in 1911, is located on the site of the original 1885 bridge, which was destroyed by fire.

The bridge is also designated for its architectural value as one of New Brunswick’s covered bridges. Now only partially covered, the bridge was once covered on both ends. The west side covered span was destroyed in a fire in 1932.

Source: Florenceville-Bristol Town Office, Historic Places file, "Florenceville Bridge"

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Florenceville Bridge include:
- length covering 49.9 metres;
- location connecting East Florenceville to West Florenceville;
- one covered span;
- four steel thru-trusses;
- one plate girder.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

New Brunswick

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (NB)

Recognition Statute

Local Historic Places Program

Recognition Type

Municipal Register of Local Historic Places

Recognition Date

2009/03/31

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1932/01/01 to 1932/01/01
1885/01/01 to 1885/01/01

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Communications and Transportation

Function - Category and Type

Current

Transport-Land
Bridge, Tunnel or Other Engineering Work

Historic

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

Albert Brewer

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Florenceville-Bristol Town Office, 4724 Juniper Road, Florenceville-Bristol, NB

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

1538

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

SEARCH THE CANADIAN REGISTER

Advanced SearchAdvanced Search
Find Nearby PlacesFIND NEARBY PLACES PrintPRINT
Nearby Places