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)

Toll Bridge & Old Bridgeport is a historical marker in Bridgeport, Wise County, dedicated in 1972. It is one of 91 historical markers documented in Wise County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 162 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 33.1970, -97.7841 near Bridgeport. The nearest cataloged historic site is Bridgeport West Cemetery (cemetery), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include Bridgeport Coal Mines, Bridgeport Heritage Museum, and First Baptist Church Bridgeport.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5497005499. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.