Bristol.
1 Industrial city (2020 pop. 60,833), Hartford co., central
Conn., on the Pequabuck River; settled 1727, inc. 1785. Its clock-making
industry dates from 1790. It also makes machinery, electrical equipment, and
metal products, and is home to the ESPN television network and an elevator
testing facility. The American Clock and Watch Museum is there, and on Lake
Compounce is the nation's oldest continually operating amusement park.
2 Industrial borough (2020 pop. 9,726), Bucks co., SE Pa., on the Delaware River
opposite Burlington, N.J.; settled 1697, inc. 1720. Its many manufactures
include plastics, paper, medical supplies, and electronic equipment. The
third oldest borough in the state, it was once a busy river port with
important shipbuilding activities. Among its historic structures is the
Friends Meetinghouse (c.1710). A restoration of 17th- and 18th-century
buildings and a replica of William Penn's country manor are nearby.
3 Town (2020 pop. 22,493), seat of Bristol co., E R.I., a port of entry on
Narragansett Bay; inc. as a Plymouth Colony town 1681, ceded to
Rhode Island 1746. An early center of commercial trade, the port was
(18th–19th cent.) a base for whaling and shipbuilding. The Herreshoff
boatyard, where many winners of the America's Cup were built, was in
operation until 1945. Manufacturing includes wire and cable, cotton thread,
and fiberglass boats. King Philip's War
(1675–76) began and ended on the site of the town, and a monument on
Mt. Hope marks the spot where King Philip fell. The Haffenreffer Museum of
Anthropology has notable collections of Native American relics. On Hope St.
is a row of preserved colonial homes. The town is the seat of Roger Williams
Univ. Mt. Hope Bridge connects Bristol with Portsmouth.
4 Industrial cities on the Tenn.-Va. line, Sullivan co., Tenn. (2020 pop. 26,702),
independent and in no county in Virginia (2020 pop. 17,835); settled 1749 as
Sapling Grove, inc. as separate towns 1856, as Bristol city 1890. The two
cities, although separate municipalities, are economically a unit that is
the transportation and processing center of a mountainous region. Livestock
is raised and electronic equipment, metal products, and caskets are produced
there. Shelby's Fort (built 1771) was frequented by Daniel Boone. Two hundred years of controversy
preceded the location of the state line down the middle of State Street.
King College is in Bristol, Tenn., and Virginia Intermont College is in the
Virginia city. In the area are Bristol Caverns and Bristol Motor
Speedway.
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