Arch Bridge from the Boonton Ironworks

The Arch Bridge from the Boonton Ironworks crosses the Rockaway River in Grace Lord Park in the town of Boonton in Morris County, New Jersey. The single-span fieldstone arch bridge was built by John Carson Sr. in 1866 to carry a water pipe to the ironworks. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 1, 2022, for its significance in engineering. It is currently used as a pedestrian bridge.^[4]

Arch Bridge from the Boonton Ironworks
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
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Location	Grace Lord Park Boonton, New Jersey
Coordinates	40°54′23.4″N 74°24′57.6″W
Built	1866 (1866)
Built by	John Carson Sr.
Part of	Boonton Ironworks Historic District (ID100009115)
NRHP reference No.	100008042[1][2]
NJRHP No.	5620[3]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	September 1, 2022
Designated CP	July 14, 2023
Designated NJRHP	July 8, 2022

History and description

In 1866, Fuller & Lord, operators of the ironworks, hired local mason John Carson Sr. to construct a fieldstone arch bridge to carry a water pipe across the Rockaway River in the Boonton Gorge. The pipe would provide a reliable source of water for fire protection at the ironworks. Water from the Morris Canal was not always available. The bridge width is 9 feet (2.7 m) and the length is 47 feet (14 m).^[4]

In 2020, the New Jersey Historic Trust funded the stabilization and restoration of the bridge, located in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places state-designated Boonton Ironworks Historic District.^[3][5] In 2023, it was listed as a key contributing structure of the Boonton Ironworks Historic District.^[6]

• 
  The Old Stone Bridge,
  photo taken between 1890 and 1901
• 
  Remains of stone foundation with arches at the ironworks

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Morris County, New Jersey
• List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey

References

1. "National Register Information System – (#100008042)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. "Weekly List 2022 09 02". National Park Service. September 2, 2022.
3. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Morris County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. September 29, 2022. p. 1. previously listed as the Stone Arch Bridge over the Rockaway River
4. Hickey, Margaret M.; Bjorklund, Beth A. (December 2021). National Register of Historic Places Registration: Arch Bridge from the Boonton Ironworks (Draft) (PDF). National Park Service. With accompanying 10 photos.
5. "Boonton Ironworks Historic District". New Jersey Historic Trust. The Stone Arch Bridge over the Rockaway River, constructed circa 1866, is representative of the unique history of the town's ironworks during the Industrial Revolution.
6. Hickey, Margaret M.; Bjorklund, Beth A.; Harshbarger, Patrick; Lee, James S. (December 2022). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Boonton Ironworks Historic District (Draft)" (PDF). National Park Service. With accompanying 14 photos

External links

• Media related to Arch Bridge from the Boonton Ironworks at Wikimedia Commons
• "Boonton Arch Bridge". Bridgehunter.com.