The first bridge over the navigable waters of the Merrimack River was erected on this site by Timothy Palmer in 1792. It was superseded in 1810 by a chain suspension bridge built by John Templeman from plans furnished by James Finley of Fayette County, PA. On February 6, 1827, the supporting chains gave way, and the bridge, with a heavily loaded ox cart, fell into the river. It was rebuilt during the following summer and maintained as a toll bridge until August 4, 1868, when it was laid out as a public highway. Under authority of an act of the General Court of 1908, it was again rebuilt in 1909 by the county commissioners of Essex County, with Moody Kimball, James C. Poor, and John M. Grosvenor, Jr. serving as county commissioners, George P. Swain as consulting engineer, Robert R. Evans as county engineer, and Holbrook Cabot & Rollins Corp as builders.