How Did Williamsbridge Rd in the Bronx Get Its Name?

Do you want to know how the Williamsbridge Rd in the Bronx NYC got its name? In this post, learn the fascinating history of this famous road.

Many people who know about the neighborhood Williamsbridge, and the road with the same name that goes through it, might have guessed that it is named after a bridge. But really, the story is more complicated – and interesting – than just a simple explanation.

Who is Williamsbridge Rd named after?

Williamsbridge Road is named after a farmer, John Williams, who was born prior to the Revolutionary War. John Williams built a bridge over the Bronx River near his farm that became known as “William’s Bridge”

Eventually, the two words in the name merged together to be “Williamsbridge”, and this area became known as a neighborhood. Williamsbridge became the name of the neighborhood within the New York City borough of the Bronx, with one of the major thoroughfares being named Williamsbridge Rd.

Where is Williamsbridge Rd?

The current iteration of Williamsbridge Rd, which is likely to persist for many years to come, runs north to south in the Bronx, a borough of New York City. Williamsbridge Rd does not cross the Bronx River.

The northernmost point of Williamsbridge Rd can be found at its intersection with Adee Ave, very close to that road’s intersection with White Plains Rd. Williamsbridge Rd runs south about 12 miles, ending where it merges into Westchester Square by Owen F. Dolen Park.

Does the the Williamsbridge bridge over the Bronx River still exist?

No, the original bridge named after John Williams no longer exists. In fact, none of the bridges that were built in the 1700s over the Bronx River have been preserved.

The original Williams Bridge, or the William’s Bridge, was a toll bridge located almost exactly due east of Eastchester, a neighborhood of the Bronx. If the old maps show the location correctly, the bridge was likely located south of Shoelace Park, mostly likely at the location of Gun Hill Rd.

On the west side of the Bronx River, you can find Williamsbridge Square, a New York City Parks property since 1900. William’s farm was located on the east side of the river.

Even though the old Williams Bridge is no longer there, there are still old bridges in the city that you can experience. The oldest bridge in New York City is the High Bridge over the Harlem River, which was built in 1848.

Was Williams’ bridge really the first bridge over the Bronx River?

Anyone who checks might find lots of online sources saying that John Williams, the namesake of Williamsbridge Rd and the Bronx neighborhood of Williamsbridge, built the first bridge over the Bronx River. While there is plenty of evidence that the William’s Bridge existed, we don’t know for sure that it was truly the first bridge.

During my research, I was able to locate a map of the Bronx from 1776. It was a military map which showed known locations of British troops, and for logistical reasons it was important to include bridges over the Bronx River in the map.

On this 247 year old map, I was able to locate at least five bridges over the Bronx River. Most of the rivers seemed to carry the name of someone, perhaps the person who built it or whose land was nearby.

The map appears to note the existence of bridges called Delancy’s Mill [Bridge], Hunts Bridge, Valentine’s Bridge, Winter Hill Bridge, and Chatterton’s Bridge. While there is some history known about some of these bridges, it is unclear which was built first and how substantial all of the bridges were.

Williams Bridge may not have been built by John Williams

Another twist to the origin story of Williamsbridge road suggests that the bridge over the Bronx River existed prior to John William’s purchase of the land in the 1700s. According to some sources, the Williams Bridge was built in the 1670s, which means that it may have become known as the “Williams’ Bridge” years after its construction.

This means that even though the bridge may have been named after John Williams, due to his ownership of adjacent property, he may not have constructed the bridge.

Conclusion

I hope that you have found this article about how Williamsbridge Rd. got its name to be interesting. The Bronx has a very rich and complex history that can be examined in many layers, and the Williamsbridge Rd story is just one example of this.

If you have any questions about something that you read here, please let me know below.

Thanks for reading today!