Old Stone Arch Bridge, Stone arch bridge in Bound Brook, United States.
The Old Stone Arch Bridge spans Green Brook using three rounded masonry arches built from locally quarried stone and rough-hewn blocks assembled in traditional fashion. The structure connects Bound Brook with Middlesex Borough, with its parapets and railings displaying weathered surfaces from centuries of exposure.
Constructed in 1731, this bridge predates American independence by decades and was built during the colonial period when regional trade routes were still developing. The structure experienced combat during the Revolutionary War when British General Cornwallis led troops across the landscape in 1777.
The structure once carried the Great Road Up Raritan, a route established in the late 1600s that eventually connected Philadelphia to New York City. Local travelers and merchants relied on this passage for trade and communication between major colonial settlements.
The bridge sits partially buried beneath railroad embankments constructed during the 1870s, so the lower portions are no longer visible and viewing is possible only from certain angles and approaches. Be aware that railroad infrastructure and fencing may restrict access to some parts of the site.
This bridge ranks as the second-oldest remaining bridge in the entire United States and holds the title of New Jersey's oldest, making it one of the very few structures surviving from the early 1700s. Its survival in relatively recognizable form despite being buried under later railroad construction is striking, given how much early American colonial infrastructure has disappeared.
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