Be A Bridge To The Future
Help us restore a rare 19th-century stone arch bridge before it’s lost forever.
The Hollow Brook Bridge has stood for 150 years. But now its balance is slipping.
But time is catching up.
For nearly 150 years, this hand-laid stone arch has endured floods, frost, and the slow pressure of roots and rain. Now, its balance is starting to give.
A void has opened near the crown. Mortar is crumbling. Capstones have gone missing. The eastern wall leans. Each storm shifts more stones, and the damage quietly grows.
Still, the arch holds.
But it won’t hold forever.
We have a narrow window to act. With the right care, we can stabilize the structure, restore its strength, and protect this rare 19th-century bridge before it’s too late.
Help Bridge the future
Your support can help save it — not just as a crossing, but as a lasting symbol of care and resilience.
Help Bridge the future
Help restore a rare 19th-century stone arch bridge before further deterioration makes preservation impossible.
The Hollow Brook Bridge is a hand-laid stone arch constructed in the 19th century using locally sourced materials and site-specific design. For nearly 150 years, it has carried floodwater, seasonal freeze–thaw cycles, and the gradual pressures of soil movement, vegetation, and weather.
Today, the structure shows clear signs of distress that require timely intervention.
A void has opened near the crown of the arch. Mortar has failed in multiple locations. Capstones are missing, and the eastern wall has begun to lean outward. Each major storm introduces additional movement, accelerating the rate of damage.
The bridge remains standing, but its structural margin is narrowing. With appropriate preservation-based care, it can be stabilized and strengthened. Without it, continued deterioration is unavoidable.
Your support helps ensure that this work can be done properly, using methods that respect how the bridge was originally built and how it continues to function.
Help Bridge the future
Help restore a rare 19th-century stone arch bridge before further deterioration makes preservation impossible.
The Hollow Brook Bridge is a hand-laid stone arch constructed in the 19th century using locally sourced materials and site-specific design. For nearly 150 years, it has carried floodwater, seasonal freeze–thaw cycles, and the gradual pressures of soil movement, vegetation, and weather.
Today, the structure shows clear signs of distress that require timely intervention.
A void has opened near the crown of the arch. Mortar has failed in multiple locations. Capstones are missing, and the eastern wall has begun to lean outward. Each major storm introduces additional movement, accelerating the rate of damage.
The bridge remains standing, but its structural margin is narrowing. With appropriate preservation-based care, it can be stabilized and strengthened. Without it, continued deterioration is unavoidable.
Your support helps ensure that this work can be done properly, using methods that respect how the bridge was originally built and how it continues to function.
Bridge at a Glance
The Hollow Brook Bridge is a single-span segmental stone arch rising more than seventeen feet over a small tributary. Its form reflects a practical engineering solution developed before the use of reinforced concrete or steel.
The arch is composed of wedge-shaped stones cut from local granite and gneiss and placed by hand. The roadway crosses the arch at an eighteen-degree skew, following the natural alignment of the historic road rather than imposing a straight crossing.
Clay-rich mortar binds the masonry, allowing limited movement while maintaining overall stability. Intact keystones continue to distribute load across the arch, demonstrating the durability of site-specific, material-appropriate construction.
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What’s At Risk
The bridge is exhibiting unmistakable signs of structural failure.
A breach has developed near the crown of the arch, reducing the system’s ability to distribute load evenly. The eastern wing wall is leaning outward, indicating progressive displacement. Eight capstones are missing, exposing underlying masonry to water infiltration.
Original clay-lime mortar has failed in several areas. In contrast, later cement-based repairs introduced during the 20th century have restricted movement and trapped moisture, accelerating stone deterioration rather than preventing it.
Walls are bowing, joints are opening, and the cumulative effects of weather events continue to compound the damage.
Support the Hollow Brook Bridge Campaign
Your donation supports the preservation of a significant historic structure within the Tewksbury landscape.
Contributions help fund a restoration approach rooted in traditional materials, careful analysis, and respect for the bridge’s original construction. The goal is not cosmetic repair, but long-term structural stability achieved through appropriate methods.
Every contribution moves the project closer to a responsible preservation outcome that allows future generations to experience and learn from this rare example of historic stone construction.
How the Bridge Holds Together
Anatomy of the Arch
The Hollow Brook Bridge is held together by gravity and geometry, not by modern reinforcement.
Each stone in the arch transfers weight to the next, directing loads outward and downward toward the abutments. The keystone locks the system in place, ensuring that compressive forces remain balanced across the span.
Wing walls support the surrounding hillside, while spandrel walls carry the roadway above. When properly aligned, the structure becomes stronger under load.
When displacement occurs, that balance is compromised. The current damage reflects a system that has begun to lose alignment rather than strength of material alone.
Explore the video to see how the structure fits together — and how we’ll repair it using the same methods that built it.
Why This Bridge Matters
Constructed in the 1800s, the Hollow Brook Bridge reflects a period when infrastructure was shaped by terrain, available materials, and practical necessity. Its design follows the contours of the land rather than imposing uniform geometry.
Because the bridge was bypassed rather than replaced, it retains much of its original fabric. Tool marks remain visible on the stone. Centering lines still trace the curvature of the arch.
These details preserve not only the structure itself, but the construction knowledge embedded within it.
The Path Forward
Preservation and fundraising move together — each step supporting the next.
2023 - 2024
Research & Documentation
Historic maps, field surveys, and engineering insight revealed the bridge’s rare design — and serious structural risks.
2024 - 2025
Structural
Assessment
Two major voids. Arch instability. Wing wall displacement. Engineers confirmed urgent preservation is needed.
Fall 2025
Phase 1: Arch & Wall Stabilization
We’ll stabilize the arch and rebuild the eastern wing wall using lime mortar and traditional stonework techniques.
2026
Phase 2: Full Restoration
We’ll repoint, repair, and reopen the bridge — and install signage to share its story with the public.
From a Preservation Perspective
The bridge’s single-course construction and eighteen-degree skew make it a clear example of vernacular engineering. Each stone was selected for both fit and function within the system.
Clay-lime mortar allowed the structure to accommodate seasonal movement and moisture exchange. While the keystones remain intact, stress fractures are spreading as alignment shifts.
Effective preservation requires understanding how the bridge was intended to function, how it was expected to age, and how failure was meant to occur gradually rather than catastrophically.
Intervention must address causes, not symptoms.
Where the Bridge Rests
The Hollow Brook Bridge lies within the preserve that bears its name, spanning a quiet tributary of the Lamington River.
It once carried Fairmount–Pottersville Road, which is now a dirt trail softened by decades of leaf fall and reduced use. There are no shoulders, guardrails, or pavement.
The surrounding forest has reclaimed the roadway, but the bridge remains in place, continuing to serve as both a crossing and a record of historic construction.
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