Bridgeport

History

Bridgeport's history began in February 1860 when William H. Hunt was granted a charter from the West Fork Bridge Company to build a bridge across the West Fork of the Trinity River. The bridge was located approximately one mile southwest of the present townsite. A Texas State Historical Marker alongside Farm To Market Road 920 denotes the spot of the original bridge today. The wooden bridge was used for a portion of the Butterfield Overland Mail stage route used for only a few months between August 1860 and March 1861. After the American Civil War began, the mail route was no longer used and the original wooden bridge was abandoned, deteriorated and collapsed into the river. In 1873 a new iron bridge was built and a post office established, thus formally creating the city of Bridgeport, TX. Its future was assured in 1882 when Charles Cates discovered a vein of bituminous coal while drilling for water. The Wise County Coal Company was formed and was a leading producer of coal for the state until competition from natural gas and petroleum closed the coal mines in 1929. A catholic congregation was served by Rev. J.J O'Riordan from Henrietta, the first Catholic Church in Wise County, the St. John the Baptizer Catholic Church was constructed in 1926. In 1893 the Rock Island Railroad established a line east of the town, so the town moved approximately one mile east to its present site. In 1913 the town was incorporated. Gas and Oil production became a local industry prior to 1917. The 1920s census showed a town of 1,872. During the 1920s, limestone quarries that produced aggregate for road construction and a brick factory were established. In 1931, a dam was constructed approximately three miles west of town on the West Fork of the Trinity River, creating Lake…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Bridgeport has a total area of , all land. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Bridgeport has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,733
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  1,146
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,143
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,073
• White-winged Dove

  Zenaida asiatica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  995
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  964
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  925
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  843

Largest nearby schools

• MCCARROLL MIDDLE
  Middle · DECATUR · 821 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• BRIDGEPORT H S
  High · BRIDGEPORT · 633 students · 14.1:1 ratio
• RANN EL
  Elementary · DECATUR · 549 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• BRIDGEPORT EL
  Elementary · BRIDGEPORT · 523 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• YOUNG EL
  Elementary · DECATUR · 458 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• BRIDGEPORT MIDDLE
  Middle · BRIDGEPORT · 455 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• BRIDGEPORT INT
  Elementary · BRIDGEPORT · 447 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• PARADISE EL
  Elementary · PARADISE · 436 students · 14.5:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2024-05-01
  7 km SSW of Mansfield, Texas
• M 3.2 — 2024-05-01
  7 km S of Mansfield, Texas
• M 2.7 — 2024-03-06
  13 km ESE of Olney, Texas
• M 2.53 — 2021-12-20
  14 km ENE of Leon, Oklahoma
• M 2.51 — 2020-06-11
  14 km NE of Leon, Oklahoma
• M 2.55 — 2020-01-06
  13 km NE of Leon, Oklahoma