NEW SALEM – The nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to increasing public awareness and appreciation of the Quabbin Reservoir and watershed is soliciting donations to help restore a stone arch bridge erected the year after the Civil War ended.

Friends of Quabbin needs help covering the long-term costs of rehabilitating the Keystone Bridge, which was built in 1866 and sits near the Gate 30 parking area off Route 122. A professional engineer estimated the cost of the restoration to be around $60,000 and the Friends have committed to paying for it, but monetary contributions are being accepted to recoup at least a portion of the group’s investment.

“We’re not looking to repair the entire bridge, as that would be too expensive and change the character of the bridge,” said Friends Treasurer Paul Godfrey. “We want it stay historically accurate, but we want to shore it up so that it lasts awhile.”

Godfrey, who lives in Pelham, mentioned the structure is an example of free-stone masonry, meaning stones were carefully cut and stacked, and no cement was used.

“There aren’t too many of them around,” he said.

A bridge professional was paid $15,000 to estimate the cost of repairing a sagging side of the bridge and said the structure can be stabilized by fixing the spandrel, the vertically curved space underneath it. J.R. Greene, chair of the Friends, said he hopes work will begin in the spring. For safety reasons, the bridge has been closed to the public for a couple of years.

The damage to the Keystone Bridge was first noticed by two people – coincidentally named Janice and Randy Stone – in the summer of 2021 while the two were searching for unusual ferns along the trail that uses the bridge to span the Swift River’s middle branch. They noticed the portion of the bridge leading to the actual arch had collapsed, with several large boulders rolling down toward the stream.

According to the fall 2024 edition of Quabbin Voices, the Friends’ newsletter, the state Department of Conservation (DCR) was notified and sent its contracted engineering firm to assess the bridge. The assessment reportedly presented three options – close the bridge and try to find an expert to rebuild it, demolish and remove it, or do nothing. In the spring of 2024, DCR removed the trees thought to be contributing to the bridge’s deteriorating condition, which by then was dire. The Friends of Quabbin’s board of directors met in an emergency session and approved the $60,000 to stabilize the bridge.

Large donations will be credited on a sign at the site at a future date, if the donors desire. Checks should be made out to Friends of Quabbin, Inc. and sent to Friends of Quabbin, Quabbin Administration Building, 485 Ware Road, Belchertown, MA 01007. Donations are tax deductible.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.