New Castle Bridge Association – MS024*
New Castle Bridge Association – MS024*
Provenance: Placed on deposit by the Portsmouth Historical Society in July 1991. Also placed on deposit were the Portsmouth Historical Society Collection (MS022), Portsmouth Historical Society Records (MS023), Tredick and Brewster Family Papers (MS019), and the Portsmouth Historical Society Photograph Collection (P018).
Citation: New Castle Bridge Association, MS024, on deposit at the Portsmouth Athenaeum
Size: 5 Hollinger boxes (2.5 linear feet)
Access: No restrictions
Scope and Content
Minutes, correspondence, financial records, bills and receipts, share certificates, deeds, legal documents, and other records. The first three boxes contain financial materials, arranged chronologically by year, including bills paid, receipts, vouchers, cancelled checks, etc and the occasional treasurer’s report. Box four contains share certificates, arranged by year and box five contains other miscellaneous records, including toll gatherer’s notebooks, occassional account books, deeds, etc.
Historical Note
Below is transcribed from “History of Bridge Association” Box 5 Folder 24
“The said corporation may erect and maintain a bridge from the North-west end of the Island of New Castle to the Town of Portsmouth across the waters and connected with any of the Islands lying on the Southerly side of the Channel of Piscataqua River, and lay out and make a road of convenient width in the most convenient place for public accommodation, from the public road in New Castle to Clark’s Neck, so called, across any of the said islands to one of the public roads in Portsmouth.” From Charter of, Proprietors of New Castle Bridge, Approved June 19, 1821
Sec. 14 of an Act of Congress approved March 3, 1899, entitled “An Act making appropriations for the construction, repair and preservation of certain public works on rivers and harbors” provides that, upon two conditions namely – “The use and occupation of any sea-wall” etc., owned by the government may be granted, “on the recommendation of the Chief Engineer” and when “in the judgment of the Sec. of War such occupation or use will not be injurious to the public interest.” See Act of Congress. Approved Mar. 3, 1899.”
In accord with the above, except with many other conditions added by the Sec. of War license was granted said proprietors in 1900, to “raise and widen at their own coat” a certain sea-wall, or so called breakwater, and to use and occupy the same as a bridge in connection with their other toll bridges and roadways made absolutely valueless by reason solely of said sea-wall construction upon the said proprietors own grant from the state, and upon and under the site of one of their bridges. Some $20,000 was the cost to the said proprietors lessee to accomplish the said “raising and widening, but notwithstanding all the above, on Aug. 4, 1917, the further use of said sea-wall, together with its raiding and widening was revoked by the present Acting Sec. of War, and the said proprietors or lessee ordered to “collect no more tolls for the passage over all its property of anything in use by the Government, or for passage of officers or men, whether on private or public business, in its service or its employees, etc, etc., and to this date not one cent has been received therefor.
Box 1 Financial materials
Folder 1 1821
Folder 2 1822
Folder 3 1823
Folder 4 1824-1829
Folder 5 1830-1835
Folder 6 1834-1836 TP Drown
Folder 7 1836
Folder 8 1837-1839
Folder 9 1840
Box 2 Financial materials
Folder 1 1841-1844
Folder 2 1845-1846
Folder 3 1847
Folder 4 1848
Folder 5 1849
Folder 6 1850
Folder 7 1851
Folder 8 1852
Folder 9 1853
Folder 10 1854
Folder 11 1855
Folder 12 1856
Folder 13 1857
Folder 14 1858
Folder 15 1859
Folder 16 1859-1860 James Dodge
Folder 17 1860
Folder 18 1861
Folder 19 1862
Folder 20 1863
Folder 21 1864
Box 3 Financial materials
Folder 1 1865
Folder 2 1866
Folder 3 1867
Folder 4 1868
Folder 5 1869
Folder 6 1870
Folder 7 1871
Folder 8 1872
Folder 9 1873
Folder 10 1874
Folder 11 1875
Folder 12 1876
Folder 13 1877
Folder 14 1878
Folder 15 1879-1925
Folder 16 Fragments and undated
Box 4 Share Certificates
Folder 1 Share Certificates, 1822 Part I
Folder 2 Share Certificates, 1822 Part II
Folder 3 Share Certificates, 1822 Part III
Folder 4 Share Certificates, 1822 Part IV
Folder 5 Share Certificates, 1822 Part V
Folder 6 Share Certificates, 1822 Part VI
Folder 7 Share Certificates, 1822 Part VII
Folder 8 Share Certificates, 1823-1824
Folder 9 Share Certificates, 1825-1835
Folder 10 Share Certificates, 1836-1846
Folder 11 Share Certificates, 1847-1881
Box 5 Other
Folder 1 Meeting Minutes, 1822
Folder 2 Subscription List, 1822
Folder 3 Assessments, 1822
Folder 4 Proposal to build a house, 1822
Folder 5 Bank book, 1822
Folder 6 Bank book, 1846
Folder 7 Bank book, 1859-1864
Folder 8 Bank book, 1864-1871
Folder 9 Toll gatherers receipts, 1864-1869
Folder 10 Account book, 1869-1877
Folder 11 Correspondence including related to a counterfeit bill in 1871
Folder 12 Correspondence to Secretary of War, 1900
Folder 13 Lottery papers, 1790-1791
Folder 14 Toll book, 1823-1833
Folder 15-17 Deeds (3 folders)
Folder 18 Toll gatherer salary notebook, Lewis Barnes, 1834-1844
Folder 19 Legal Papers (misc), 1844-1852
Folder 20 Contracts with toll gatherer, 1869-1870
Folder 21 Check book, 1921-1922
Folder 22 Check book, 1923-1924
Folder 23 Vote slips, n d
Folder 24 History of Bridge Association, n d
Folder 25 Miscellaneous