Eastport in Annapolis in Anne Arundel County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
A Tale of Three Bridges
| | Eastport Walking Tour | |
Photographed by F. Robby, January 15, 2008
1. A Tale of Three Bridges Marker
The bridge to Annapolis has always been a key part of Eastport life.
The first wooden bridge, built in 1868, connected here at the end of Fourth Street. It served pedestrians and horse-drawn wagons. Forty years later, a larger steel bridge was built in the same location for cars and trucks. The bridge tender lived on the bridge and opened the pivoting central span by hand-crank whenever a boat needed to pass through. On hot days, the steel expanded, preventing the span from closing properly until a fire truck was called to hose it down with cold water.
The drawbridge you see today, connecting with Sixth Street two blocks to your left, was built in 1947 with heavy weights to counter-balance the center spans. If you hear a horn, watch how the bridge opens to let a sailboat through.
[Caption:]
Before bridges were built, Eastporters traveled to and from Annapolis by ferry to avoid the three-mile detour around the end of Spa Creek.
Erected by Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, Annapolis Maritime Museum, Four Rivers Garden Club. (Marker Number 3.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1868.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby.
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Regionally, this marker was in Central Maryland. It was also in the American Mid-Atlantic and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: A different marker also named A Tale of Three Bridges (here, next to this marker); Arnold C. Gay (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Eastport's Old Main Street (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Three Great Boat Yards, One Location (about 600 feet away); a different marker also named Welcome to Eastport (about 700 feet away); Lafayettes Encampment (about 700 feet away); Eastport Veterans Park (about 700 feet away); a different marker also named The Glass Works (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Annapolis.
Other markers no longer nearby. Eastport's Old "Main Street" (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Three Great Boat Yards, One Location (was about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been replaced with another marker now near it); On to Yorktown
Photographed by F. Robby, January 15, 2008
2. View of Annapolis
2008 view of Annapolis contrasts with the view on the marker. The church steeple behind the dock shop and the Maryland State House can be seen in both photos.
Photographed by F. Robby, January 15, 2008
3. Sixth Street Drawbridge
Beyond the boats and yachts on Spa Creek is the Sixth Street Drawbridge that replaced the wooden and steel bridges at Fourth Street. View is from the marker at the end of Fourth Street.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 29, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 23, 2008, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,489 times since then and 69 times this year. Last updated on March 11, 2018, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 23, 2008, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
