{"nrhp_refnum":"72000140","name":"Paul's Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Neponset Valley Pkwy., over the Neponset River","address_restricted":false,"city":"Milton","county":"Norfolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.23458427800006,"lon":-71.12269425499994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-12-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Landscape Architecture","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Paul's Bridge is an 88-foot, three-arch unmortared stone bridge carrying the Neponset Valley Parkway across the Neponset River between Milton and the Readville section of Boston, Massachusetts. It was built in 1849 and widened in 1932-35.","why_significant":"It is the third bridge on this site and one of three Milton crossings of the Neponset River in the 18th century, then the only link between Milton and Dedham. It lies within the Neponset River Reservation, planned by Olmsted, Olmsted and Eliot, and its 1932-35 redesign was by landscape architect Arthur A. Shurcliff.","narrative":"Paul's Bridge carries the Neponset Valley Parkway over the Neponset River between Milton and the Readville section of Boston. Built in 1849, the 88-foot structure has three round arches of unmortared stone, each spanning 20 feet at the springline. It is the third bridge on the site. An earlier span, called Hubbard's Bridge, was rebuilt in 1759 at a cost shared among towns by their province tax. By 1807 it had been renamed for the owner of adjacent land in Dedham. In the 18th century it served as the only link between Milton and Dedham and as a crossing for local farmers. Between 1932 and 1935 the bridge was widened and given solid stone parapets, with the south elevation rebuilt about 17 feet southward using the same blocks. Arthur A. Shurcliff directed the redesign. The bridge lies within the Neponset River Reservation, a green link between the Stoney Brook and Blue Hills Reservations designed by Olmsted, Olmsted and Eliot. It remains publicly owned and in use.","period_of_significance":"1849","architect_builder":"Arthur A. Shurcliff (1932-35 redesign)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as in good condition, altered, on its original site, and in use for transportation as part of the Neponset Valley Parkway.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.126911-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/48/7964/63796448/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/72000140.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000140/803eb8eb95-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000140/803eb8eb95-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jameslwoodward","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pauls_Bridge_MA_north_side_02.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jameslwoodward</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pauls_Bridge_MA_north_side_02.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"04001573","name":"Neponset Valley Parkway, Metorpolitan Park System of Greater Boston","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/neponset-valley-parkway-metorpolitan-park-system-of-greater-boston-04001573/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796448","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul%27s_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7148894"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/norfolk-county/pauls-bridge-72000140/"}