A Short History of the Martin Bridge

from Spanning Time: Tour 9 - Route 100 in Central Vermont¹

WGN 45-12-06

 

The Town of Marshfield was granted to the Stockbridge Indian Tribe by the General Assembly of Vermont in 1790. The Indians intended to settle here, but after white settlements were founded around their town, they sold it to Captain Isaac Marsh of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The Indians moved on to the then unsettled forests of New York.

William Martin was an early settler of Marshfield. He bought a farm about a mile north of Plainfield Village and resided there until 1840. His farm was reputed to be one of the finest on the headwaters of the Winooski River. The Ortons bought the old Martin place and gave it their name for a time.

The Martin Bridge, or Orton Farm Bridge, crosses the Winooski River in a pasture south of Route 2. Built in 1890, it is believed by some to be the last surviving example of the work of Herman F. Townsend.

The forty-five-foot queenpost truss structure is privately owned, serving as access to property isolated by the river. It stands high on abutments of cut granite and rubble stone laid dry. A cattle gate is hinged at one of the queenposts.