Original Framed Document, 1804 CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS TOLL BRIDGE Daily Receipts

Description

Chelsea Toll Bridge  - 1804
Daily Tolls Collected - Sunday, April 8th.
Probably a slow day ... 86 foot passengers at 2 cents each; 10 persons on horseback at
5 cents each;   and 19
folks in horse drawn conveyances at twelve and a half cents each.
The bridge was opened in 1803 and connected Chelsea with Charlestown.  At the time, Chelsea was largely
an agricultural community and a summer resort for wealthy Bostonians.  A hundred years later it had become the most thickly populated city in the whole country in proportion to its size, having 40,000
people in less than two square miles.
The old toll bridge was at the location of the current Tobin bridge over the Mystic River,  which still connects Chelsea with
Charlestown, now a section of Boston.
I acquired this document several years ago and at the time, did considerable research on it.  I was able to find an old engraving of the bridge (on the internet) and even the name of the toll keeper at the time, the man who completed this document, and if I remember correctly, his house still stands.  Of course, I lost my
notes and a recent attempt to find these things again proved fruitless.  I think the information came from a
nearby historical society which has since closed and their website taken down.
It's in excellent condition and has survived for 216 years.  Framed under glass, ready to hang. A nice gift
for someone from the area who's keen on local history.
Document size:  6-1/2"  x  12"      Overall w/frame:  9-1/2"  x  15"
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Inv. No. 1383
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