REC/GOV/046. River Bridge and Highway District Commission, Connecticut.

In 1895, the General Assembly passed Special Act 343 establishing the commission and charging it to build a new bridge over the Connecticut River. The previous structure was made of wood and had recently burned. The first chair was Morgan C. Bulkeley, under whose direction the bridge was completed and dedicated in October 1908. In May 1927, the Commission renamed the bridge after Bulkeley. Until the 1930s, the Commission maintained the bridge, but gradually its duties and title to properties became the responsibility of the State and adjacent municipalities. On July 13, 1949, final liquidation of its accounts took place. The record group contains minutes of meetings of the Commission, 1905-1949; bridge dedication materials, 1909-1927; the builder’s bid and payment papers, 1903-1907; treasurers’ reports and financial statements, 1895-1949; treasurer’s financial registers, 1911-1949; deeds and other legal instruments, 1879-1949; and plans, drawings and maps, 1903-1949.