CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · Places & Architecture

Cornwall Bridge

bridge in Connecticut

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 3, 2026
Entity authorityQ5171948
Source-derived summary

The Cornwall Bridge (also known as Bridge No. 560) is a two-lane, concrete arch bridge carrying U.S. Route 7/Connecticut Route 4 over the Housatonic River and the Housatonic Railroad in northwestern Connecticut. It was built in 1930 by C.W. Blakeslee and Sons for the Connecticut Highway Department and consists of six open-spandrel arches spanning 674 feet (205 m), and is a fairly large example of concrete open-spandrel construction. The bridge was reconstructed in 1994 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Description and history

The Cornwall Bridge is located in southwestern Cornwall and southeastern Sharon, near the village known as Cornwall Bridge. It is oriented east-west, principally crossing the south-flowing Housatonic River, but also the tracks of the Housatonic Railroad which parallels the river's east bank, and roads named River Road on each side. The bridge has six spans of open-spandrel concrete construction, the longest at 180 feet (55 m) spanning the river. The five smaller spans (two on the west bank, three on the east) are each 76 feet (23 m) in length. In addition to the arched portion of the structure, there are three concrete girder approach spans on each side, giving the bridge a total length of 859 feet (262 m). It carries two lanes of traffic, with no sidewalks.

Editorial summary

“Cornwall Bridge” enters the record as bridge in Connecticut. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Cornwall, Bridge and bridge can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA valuable geographic starting point for tracing changing names, boundaries, uses and administrative responsibility. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1930, 1994, 2004—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1930. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Cornwall, Bridge and bridge.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Cornwall Bridge” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Cornwall, Bridge and bridge provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 3, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5171948. Authority coordinates are 41.819, -73.373. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1930, 1994 and 2004.

Critical limits

Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Cornwall Bridge”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Cornwall Bridge primary sources, Cornwall Bridge archive and Cornwall research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Cornwall Bridge”?
  2. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
  3. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Cornwall Bridge” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.