Goffstown Historical Society

The first bridge on the site was built about 1850 by the New Hampshire Central Railroad. In 1895 the line came under control of the Boston and Maine Railroad, which built a replacement bridge in 1901.
The line, which originally ran to Henniker, was abandoned to Goffstown (ending short of this bridge) in the 1930s, and was still in operation to that point when the bridge was listed on the National Register in 1975.
The bridge was destroyed by a fire on August 16, 1976. Smoke from the fire could be seen as far as Manchester. Heat from the burning bridge was so intense that paint blistered on the fire engines parked nearby. At the time, the Boston & Maine Railroad was still serving two customers on the western side of the river,
Kendall-Hadley Lumber and Merrimack Farmers Exchange. Despite this, the railroad decided not to replace the bridge.
Freight service still ran on the line east of the river until September 20, 1980, with total abandonment following in February 1981.