GPS City GuideWilliamsburgCrim Dell bridge

Stop 8 of 25 · Williamsburg audio walking tour

Crim Dell bridge

College of William & Mary · 1966 · Opening on Parents' Day

What you'll hear here: about 90 seconds on Crim Dell bridge — how it came to be, who it mattered to, and what to look for while you're standing in front of it.

Cross the wooden bridge over Crim Dell, the pond it is named for, here on the William & Mary campus in Williamsburg. The span crosses Crim Dell — the pond the bridge is named for — and is considered one of the College's most visually appealing elements. Opened on William & Mary's first-ever Parents' Day in 1966, the bridge replaced a plain, unpainted crossing after President Davis Paschall wanted a more elaborate structure.

The gully it spans was once a place where passersby threw garbage; the pond itself was created by building a dam near the future bridge site. For a short time, this spot was even considered as the site for a new library, a plan that was ultimately rejected. Crim Dell was funded by three main sources: the 1964 senior class gift, a friend of the College named David Reed Baer, and the family of John W. H. Crim, a distinguished alumnus of the College's 1901 graduating class.

A mounted plaque near the bridge bears a Paschall quotation commemorating the dedication on May 7, 1966 — “…that one may walk in beauty, discover the... Notice the dam nearby and the bridge's wooden lines tracing the water of Crim Dell.

Where it is

Coordinates
37.27061, -76.71353
Area
College of William & Mary
Era
1966 · Opening on Parents' Day
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Three stops free. No account needed. The audio plays itself as you walk.