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{"id":2076,"date":"2012-02-22T14:55:35","date_gmt":"2012-02-22T19:55:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodspeedhistories.com\/?p=2076"},"modified":"2022-01-14T09:08:53","modified_gmt":"2022-01-14T14:08:53","slug":"the-bulls-island-bridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodspeedhistories.com\/the-bulls-island-bridge\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bull’s Island Bridge"},"content":{"rendered":"In a recent post I mentioned that I found two items at the Hunterdon County Historical Society that explained what Nathaniel Saxton was doing during the years 1808-1815. Besides investing in Raven Rock and a couple properties in other locations, and becoming an active supporter of the Federalists, Saxton was thinking of infrastructure, in particular, construction of a bridge between Bull\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s Island and Lumberville.<\/p>\n
Ferries v. Bridges<\/h3>\n
Up until this time, the only way to get across the river was by ferry. There were several ferries between Coryell\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s Ferry (Lambertville) and Alexandria, later known as Frenchtown. The ferry closest to Bull’s Island was run by Martin Johnson, who had taken it over from Jacob Painter. It was located somewhere near the point where Federal Twist Road intersects with Highway 29. All evidence of it has been erased.<\/p>\n
By 1810, there were only two bridges over the Delaware River, one at Easton and one at Trenton. They both opened in 1806, and their advantages must have been immediately obvious. A bridge avoided the biggest problem associated with ferries: it could be crossed in almost any kind of weather. Ferries could not run during spring freshets, or when the river was frozen over, or in the summer when the water level dropped too low. It is true that in some of those cases, horse-back riders could simply ride across the river, but often they could not and would have to wait in a nearby tavern for conditions to improve.<\/p>\n
Bridges, especially sturdy covered bridges, were the answer. But these were not taxpayer-funded bridges. They were built by private companies, which explains why the bridges at Trenton and Easton were toll bridges. The companies raised funds for construction by selling shares, like any private company could. But the profits, which went toward bridge maintenance and to shareholder dividends, came from the tolls.<\/p>\n