The first bridge across Alloways Creek at this location was built by John Hancock and others in 1709 and became known as Hancocks Bridge. That same year, two other bridges were built across Alloways Creek, one at Alloway called Thompson’s Bridge and the other at Quinton often called Quinton’s Bridge. Various wooden bridges were later built and rebuilt here to replace the original, with the last wooden bridge constructed in 1847 by the Salem County Board of Chosen Freeholders. On August 12, 1885, the Board of Chosen Freeholders authorized construction of an iron truss swing bridge at a cost of $8,517.92, and on January 13, 1886, awarded another contract for $1,835.00 to build an additional fifty-foot span, bringing the total cost of the iron swing bridge, which served this location from 1886 to 1952, to $10,352.92. A new bridge constructed in 1952-53 cost $532,894.00, one-half of which was assumed by the Federal Government. During the Revolutionary War, the bridge here played an important part in early American history as Americans used it to haul cattle and provisions from the fertile lands to the south to General Washington at Valley Forge. When the British moved into Salem and the Americans held the south side of Aloes, or Alloways, Creek, the Americans destroyed the draw to prevent a frontal attack. The British instead went south by boat to an inlet about seven miles below Aloes Creek, but because of the strong tide they had to land at the mouth of Aloes Creek and cross the meadows to surprise the garrison at Hancocks Bridge. This led to the massacre at the Hancock House on the night of March 20, 1778, by Major John Graves Simcoe. On the morning of March 21, 1778, Major Simcoe relaid the bridge with planks and joined Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell, who had waited all night on the north side of the bridgeless stream.