The Mount Hope Bridge replaced the Bristol ferry, linking Aquidneck Island (Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth) to Bristol. It opened in 1929, five days before the stock market crashed. In 1931 the private owner went bankrupt, and the bridge was purchased by Rudolph Haffenrafer, a wealthy Bristolian. Until the Newport Bridge opened in the late 60’s or so, this bridge was the longest suspension bridge in New England. When the bridge became state owned and maintained, a toll booth was installed on the Bristol side. I tossed lots of the penny sized tokens into the collection bin. Today, it is toll free and a vital lifeline to Aquidneck Island.
Much of Haffenraffer’s large estate, shown on the far shore of Mount Hope Bay, is a public access park called Mount Hope Farm. My friend James Farley was the driving force behind the farm being purchased into trust for the public benefit. The balance of the property is owned by Brown University. The Brown portion was the domain of King Phillip, the great chief of a Native American tribe, and his meeting place, King Phillip’s chair is carved into a granite face When one visits the chair, there are invariably handmade small pieces crafted in the ancient methods by those who relate by blood to the Native American past.