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 151:
THE TOLL BRIDGE BETWEEN WINDSOR AND CORNISH–DATA REGARDING CATTLE AND OTHER STOCK PASSING IT
The old frame toll bridge in use crossing the Connnecticut river between Windsor, Vt., and Cornish, N. H., is one of the few remaining bridges over the Connecticut between the two states where tolls are still charged. The present structure was built in 1866, replacing one of a similar pattern which was carried away by flood during the night of March 3rd of that year. It is the third bridge over the river at that point.
The first bridge was built in 1796 at a cost of $17,099.27, an unusually large sum for bridges of that class at that time. Among the stockholders most prominent were several members of the influential Chase family of Cornish, and many citizens of Windsor, Hartland and other Connecticut river towns. The second bridge was built in 1824, replacing the first, which had been carried away by a freshet in the spring of that year. This in turn was lost by flood in 1849. Up to that time each bridge had been supported by three piers between the abutments, while in the erection of that year's structure only one pier was used, the same as now. Thus, with the exception of the times when carried away by freshets, toll has been continuously charged for passsing the bridges for over 130 years. Not unreasonable rates have ever been charged, and there has never been strong talk of asking the two states to free the bridge. It has well served the public.
Examination of the interesting records of the different bridges excites wonder at the changes which have [152] come into practices and into modes of living in the different eras of the 130 years. One prominent fact comes to mind in the knowledge of the large number of cattle and sheep that passed the Windsor-Cornish bridge in early years on their way to the Boston market. They were driven on foot, and not transported as now. The high peak of the patronage of the bridge for this class seems to have been reached between 1824 and 1850, when the railroad was built through the valley. On October 24th, 1825, 838 sheep and 259 cattle passed over the bridge. November 7th of that year the count was 920 sheep and 236 cattle. The record for that year shows a total of about 9,500 sheep and 2,600 cattle. In 1838, 14,084 sheep and 2,208 cattle were recorded.
The toll gatherer from 1825 to 1838, one "Col. Brown," was very faithful in recording many events of interest. Tuesday, June 28th, 1825, "Marquis Fayette passed with his Suit"; September 14, 1826, there was a "Muster at Cornish"; September 14, 1831, there was a "Wolf Hunt"; September 14, 1831, he recorded an evidently unusual amount of crossing the bridge because of a "Calvenistick Convention" held somewhere. Various passings of boats and rafts up and down the river are mentioned, and on February 16, 1825, there was a "Convention for Navigating the Valley of the Connecticut River."
What an intersting amount of historical lore could be rehearsed by the different keepers of this, and other, Connecticut river bridges!