From The Connecticut River Valley in Southern Vermont and New Hampshire: Historical Sketches by Lyman S. Hayes, Tuttle Co., Marble City Press, Rutland, VT., 1929, page 147:
THE BRIDGE BETWEEN WESTMINSTER AND WALPOLE
The first bridge built across the Connecticut river at any point in its length was the toll bridge at Bellows Falls, built in 1785. The nearest one on the north was Cheshire bridge two miles above Charl€stown, built in 1805, and the nearest one on the south, the one between Walpole and Westminster, was built in 1807.
WALPOLE-WESTMINSTER BRIDGES
The present picturesque re-inforced cement bridge between the towns of Walpole and Westminster stands in practically the same location as have stood bridges since the erection of the first primitive wooden toll bridge in 1807.
Toll was collected for crossing the river at this point until 1870.
During the day Wednesday, March 18, 1868, in the passing of ice down the river, without extremely high water, the half of the bridge on the Vermont side was carried away. After that had been replaced by the ownners of the bridge the same half fell October 20, 1869, caused by the undermining of the west abutment. It had been owned by an organization known as the Walpole and Westminster Bridge Corporation. They did not have the money to again repair the structure and they became anxious to give it up offering to sell it for a small sum.
The town of Walpole, having held a meeting and voted to pay two-thirds of the expense of building a new bridge, and of buying the corporate interest in the [148] old one, Westminster, at its annual town meeting, March 1, 1870, voted to appropriate the sum of $1,500 and instructed its selectmen to unite with the selectmen of Walpole in buying the interests in the old bridge corrporation.
At a special Westminster town meeting held April 23, 1870, it was voted to appropriate an additional sum of $700 to carry out an agreement which had been signed by the selectmen of both towns and had been accepted and ratified at this special meeting, which read as follows:
"Whereas the Walpole and Westminster Bridge Corporation and the stockholders of said corporation have signified their desire to give up said corporate property for a nominal sum in consideration of having a public highway laid and built over said franchise, and certain individuals in Walpole having pledged themselves to pay two thousand dollars, the Cheshire Railroad to furnish one thousand dollars in material and labor, and individuals in Westminster and Rockingham one thouusand dollars for the purpose of having and maintaining said public highway, therefore, we, the selectmen of the respective towns aforesaid, agree to the following arrrangement, to wit: 'The selectmen of Walpole, New Hampshire, to survey and lay out upon the line of the late bridge belonging to said corporation to a public highway to the west line of New Hampshire; and the selectmen of Westminster, Vermont, to survey and lay out a public highway to the line of said bridge to the east line of Vermont; and further in behalf of said towns do hereby agree to build and maintain a public highway or free bridge over said route in the proportion of two-thirds of the expense to be borne by the said town of Walpole and one-third by the said town of Westminster, said agreement to be in force and virtue until either of said [149 ] towns shall vote to discontinue said highway, and they further agree that the necessary measures shall be taken by said towns to secure acts or laws by the legislature of their respective states legalizing this agreement (if not so now) and making such laws as shall be necessary to regulate the care and maintenance of said bridge hereafter as a public highway in the foregoing prooportions.'
"Given under our hands at Walpole and Westtminster this 23rd day of April, A. D. 1870. Charles Fisher, Frederick Watkins, Nehemiah Royce, selectmen of Walpole; Henry C. Lane, D. C. Gorham, Nathan Fisher, selectmen of Westminster."
At a special Westminster town meeting June 20, following, called for the purpose of appropriating a further sum for the above purpose, the town voted to instruct its selectmen to do nothing further about the matter and refused to appropriate any more money toward building the bridge. This action caused considerable feeling, culminating in the calling of the third town meeting held on July 8 following, which resulted in rescinding the action taken at the former meeting, and the selectmen were authorized and instructed to carry out the provisions of the above agreement and draw their orders on the treasury for a sufficient sum for the same. The bridge was built, a frame truss structure, and opened for travel in the fall of 1870 with a grand celebration.
This, the third bridge to span the river at this point, was in use until its destruction by fire April 10, 1910. On this date, at about 8 :30 P. M., the bridge was destroyed by fire. An incendiary was later arrested, tried and sentenced to the New Hampshire state prison, the evidence against him being conclusive.
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The next year the present cement structure was built, becoming an ornament, and credit, to the enterprise of the two towns. Walpole paid two-thirds of the expense, and Westminster one-third, the same as the division in cost of the former bridge.