Skilton Road Bridge
# Skilton Road Bridge

The Skilton Road Bridge is a historic stone arch bridge, carrying Skilton Road across the Nonewaug River in northwestern Watertown, Connecticut. The bridge was built in 1865–66, and is a rare well-preserved example of a mid-19th century stone bridge. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

## Description and history

The Skilton Road Bridge is located in a rural-residential area of northwestern Watertown, spanning the Nonewaug River between Hinman Road and Hickory Lane. The bridge has an overall length of 35 feet (11 m), with a single arch spanning 20 feet (6.1 m). It is made of dry laid local stone, and is built on a stone ledge on one side and a stone abutment on the other. The stones which form the barrel of the arch are roughly worked, while those filling the spandrels show little evidence of work. The arch is a slightly asymmetrical segmented arch, probably due to the difficulties involved in working at the site. The bridge is 16 feet (4.9 m) wide, and carries a single lane of traffic.

The bridge was built either in 1865–66, after the town voted in 1865 to fund its construction; Skilton Road was at the time the major route between Watertown and Bethlehem. Stone, a more expensive construction material than wood, was probably chosen because of its longer lifespan, and because a mill dam just upstream (now breached) whose breach would have caused flooding that would endanger a wooden bridge. This bridge is fairly typical of mid-19th century stone bridges, which were once quite numerous in the state.

