{"nrhp_refnum":"84002326","name":"Double-arch Sandstone Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Hampshire Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Methuen","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.74249761000004,"lon":-71.20763749299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-06-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A mortarless twin-arch sandstone bridge on Hampshire Road, west of the Route 93 overpass, in Methuen, Massachusetts. It was built in 1835 and is owned by the Town of Methuen.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the bridge is the only local example of dry-laid stone arch bridge construction. It also recalls the pre-Route 93 locations of the Spicket River and Hampshire Road. It retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and association.","narrative":"Built in 1835 on Hampshire Road in Methuen, this twin-arch sandstone bridge was laid without mortar and replaced an earlier wooden bridge. It measures roughly 40 by 15 feet and was built for the Town of Methuen, according to town meeting records of March 1835. The bridge carried traffic until 1963, when construction of Interstate 93 required the Spicket River to be rechanneled and Hampshire Road to be realigned. It now sits beside an abandoned river channel, near a suburban mall and west of the Route 93 overpass. Its listing rests on its status as the only local example of dry-laid stone arch bridge construction and on its value as a reminder of where the river and road ran before the interstate. The bridge retains its original location, design, setting, materials and workmanship. The boundary covers the bridge, its footings and five feet of roadway on either side.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Present use is listed as none; the form describes the condition as fair and the setting as rural, adjacent to a suburban mall. The bridge went out of use in 1963.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.947366-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/42/7901/63790142/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002326.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002326/e4a355faf1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002326/e4a355faf1-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Unknown authorUnknown author","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sands_Bridge,_Methuen,_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown authorUnknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sands_Bridge,_Methuen,_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790142","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-arch_Sandstone_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5299582"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/double-arch-sandstone-bridge-84002326/"}