Toll Bridge & Old Bridgeport
When Butterfield Overland Mail traversed this area (1858-61) on St. Louis to San Francisco route, a crossing over West Fork of the Trinity was a necessity. Colonel W. H. Hunt on February 11, 1860, obtained a charter and built a toll bridge here (50 yards west). The Overland Mail ceased operating as Civil War began. The bridge soon collapsed. However, a settlement had begun here, and in 1873 Charles Cates, a Decatur merchant, spanned the river with an iron bridge. When the Rock Island Railroad built to this point in 1893, town moved but retained historic name. (1972)
33.1953° N, 97.7843° W
Where to Find It
FM 920 and Trinity River Bridge, just west of Bridgeport.
Nearby Markers
- 1.7 mi NE Bridgeport Coal Mines Bridgeport
- 1.9 mi NE Bridgeport Lodge No. 587, A.F. & A.M. Bridgeport
- 2 mi NE First Baptist Church Bridgeport Bridgeport
- 2 mi E Hunt, Col. William Hudson Bridgeport
- 2.1 mi E First United Methodist Church of Bridgeport Bridgeport
- 2.2 mi NE Bridgeport Schools Bridgeport