Description of Historic Place

The Rexton Bridge is a three span metal bridge crossing the Richibucto River at Rexton, connecting the north and south sides of the village.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Rexton Bridge resides in its association with a time in Rexton's history when the completion of the bridge in 1850 made development more viable. Formerly known as Kingston, Rexton became the crossroad of land and sea routes. Construction of the bridge facilitated traffic flow and resulted in a prosperous and thriving community, particularly around both ends of the bridge. It still is the only physical link connecting the north and south sides communities in the Village of Rexton.

In 1846, Hon. David Wark played a major role in the movement to bridge the Richibucto River at Rexton. Although the original proposal by the government of the day was for a bridge to be built in Jardineville, further down the river, it was due to the political influence of local merchant J&W Brait that it was located in Rexton. Construction of the wooden bridge was started in 1846 and completed four year later. Built by William Fitzgerald and William Brait it stood until the night of October 29, 1879 when a great wind and flood brought down its wooden piers. It was rebuilt twice, first by Richard English and then by Thomas Gallagher. The latter structure was replaced in 1900 with a steel bridge that had a swing span at the south end. The community used that bridge for over 50 years until the current bridge opened in 1956.

Source: Village of Rexton - Local Historic Places File #2004-6

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements of the Rexton Bridge include:
- the bridge is a section of Main Street;
- three spans, the two end spans being nearly of equal length, and the center span being almost three times as long as either end spans;
- the round pier once used for the operation of the swinging span;
- two lanes wide with a sidewalk;
- steel frame and concrete floor.