The first bridge spanning the White River at Potter's Ford was commissioned in 1860 and named for the landowner, William Potter. In 1870, Hamilton County Commissioners voted to construct this Howe Truss bridge. It was finished in 1871 and repaired in 1937, 1959, and 1961. Plans to replace it with a concrete bridge were introduced in 1969. After 100 years of use, County Commissioners voted in 1971 to close the bridge to traffic and lease it to the Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. During the 1990s, plans were developed to restore the bridge and create a park, and the bridge was restored and rededicated when Potter's Bridge Park opened in 1999.