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City Historic Sites

The Historical Society appointed a committee to survey all establishments in the city and determine if any qualified to be designated as historic sites. The committee picked 14 sites to be classified as a Bridgeport Historic Sites. The sites are briefly described herein.

Brazelton Sanitarium Historic Site

The Brazelton Sanitarium at 1817 Stevens Street dates to 1912. The family lived downstairs and the hospital was upstairs. It was a six-bed hospital and was in operation from 1914 to 1918. Dr. Brazelton's nurse was Miss. Stewart.

Bridgeport High School Historic Site

The Bridgeport High School was built in 1929 to replace the three story wooden school that occupied the site at 1407 Carpenter Street. The building was of brick construction and included a gym. H.H. Sampson was Superintendent at this time. It served as the high school until 1959 when a new high school was built. Then it was used ten years as the Junior High School. Later it was used as the tax office, superintendent's office and a kindergarten. At the present time it is the bus yard and maintenance facility.

The Coal Mine Replica at 10th Street and Hovey is in the general vicinity of one of the larger working mines, the Drift # 1, in Bridgeport. The Wise County Coal Company had opened the first mine in 1882. Coal was such an important product that the Rock Island laid a railroad to Bridgeport in 1893. The coal stratum is about 60 feet deep and was reached either by slope, drift or shaft mining. Coal played a big part in the local economy for approximately 50 years. The depression and an increased availability of natural gas and fuel oil was the death of coal mining locally in 1929.

The First National Bank was built of local limestone with a distinctive capped entrance in 1906. The building was located at 1001 Halsell Street. This two story building anchored this corner for 50 years until a new bank was constructed on Stevens Street. The local newspaper"The Bridgeport Index" occupied this building and is still owned by Harlan Bridwell. The First National Bank building is considered by many as "Our Main Street Landmark".

The Bridgeport State Bank occupied the corner lot at 1002-1004 Halsell Street from 1917 to 1929. The old cement vault can still be seen at the back of the present business at 1004 Halsell Street. The outside wall at 1002 Hasell Street and 10th Street has a mural depicting the Butterfield Stage crossing the Trinity River. These buildings originally had basements. The Bridgeport State Bank failed with the beginning of the great depression in 1929.

The H.H. Hardin Lumber Company was in business from 1918 to 1922.

James W. Cage and his young wife first owned a hotel at the S.W. corner of 10th and Cates Street just under the Methodist Hill. They later owned the 2 story Cage Hotel immediately west of the railroad passenger depot. Rooms rented for $1 a night and meals were available at 35 cents each. Most of the guests came to Bridgeport by train. All that remains of the business is the well.