The Mystic Drawbridge In The 1920s

The freshly painted Mystic bascule bridge looks visibly different from it did just a month ago. And that paint job is just one of the many changes the bridge has seen over the years.

This week’s vintage photograph is of the drawbridge looking south. According to the Mystic Seaport Museum the bridge in the photograph built in 1922 replaced the 1904 drawbridge.

Provided by the Mystic Seaport, the photograph taken around 1923 described, “buildings along he waterfront are partially visible to the right. On the other side of the bridge, lettering on the side of a building visible to the left reads in part: ‘YALE/BEST HARDWARE/_AINT’ and ‘LUMBER TIME/SASH BLINDS DOORS_/INSIDE FINISH/MASON MATERIALS/LADDERS/OAK BOAT CEDAR.’”

Today, the view is different. Even shrouded in the fog of the past week it's easy to see businesses have come in and gone, some of the buildings across the water have changed and the was founded in 1995 adding a spot of green along the waterfront. But the iconic drawbridge remains serving as a lifeline for two communities, a tourist destination and piece of local history.