London Bridge:
British - American Friendship Marker

Marker:
British – American Friendship, London Bridge

Location:
1340 McCulloch Boulevard
Lake Havasu City, Mohave County, Arizona
Northeast side of London Bridge
34.471514, -114.347649

Historical Significance:
“We are now friends with England and with all mankind” was written by Benjamin Franklin, the American Peace Commissioner in Paris, following the signing of the peace treaty to end the American Revolution, September 1783.

Lake Havasu City originated during WWII as “Site Six” rest camp for the Army Air Corps on the shores of Lake Havasu. Lake Havasu City was a young city, being established in September 1963 after Robert McCulloch bought 3,000+ acres and another 13,000 federally owned acres to begin a retirement city. He bought the London Bridge in 1968 from the City of London for $2.46 million and had it reassembled for another $7 million. It was sinking into the Thames under modern traffic. He felt that the London Bridge would bring tourists to his city and it certainly did! It is Arizona’s second biggest tourist attraction, second only to the Grand Canyon.

The bridge was built in 1838 and moved to Lake Havasu City in 1971. A Loving Cup is shared each October at the “Quit Rent Ceremony” as a symbol of historic ties and the pledge of the continuing friendship between London and Lake Havasu City. Arizona’s important waterway, the Colorado River, now flows beneath the bridge instead of the Thames River.

The historic marker was originally placed in the English Village near the London Bridge but later moved to its new location on the upper level, just northeast of the bridge.

Dedicated:
October 31, 1997

Sponsor:
Havasu Chapter, NSDAR

A snapshot of a marker that reads, “British-American Friendship / “We are now friends with England and with all mankind.” / Written by Benjamin Franklin, American Peace Commissioner in Paris, following the signing of the peace treaty ending the American Revolution September 1783 / With American and British flags flying overhead, a Quit Rent Ceremony is reenacted each October under the London Bridge, located since 1971 at the English Village in lake Havasu City. The ceremony symbolizes London, England’s friendship with Lake Havasu City. On this occasion, a Loving Cup is shared, as a symbol of the historic ties between the United States and Great Britain, and as a pledge of the continuing friendship between the two cities. The Colorado River now flows beneath the bridge that once spanned the Thames River. The bridge provides a bond between two very different municipalities, the 1000-year-old English city and Lake Havasu City, established a few decades ago in the American southwest.”
British-American Friendship marker, undated image.
A collage of four snapshots that show (1) the London Bridge, (2) flags of the United States, United Kingdom, and Arizona, (3) a plaque reading “London Bridge,” and (4) an indecipherable scene looking from the bridge.
Views of the London Bridge, March 2019.
A snapshot of the sidewalk near the bridge with a plaque reading “London Bridge.”
Plaque, March 2019.
A blurry snapshot of a second plaque set on a base. The text cannot be distinguished.
Plaque, March 2019.

  

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Unless otherwise noted, images are courtesy of Arizona State Society, DAR, Daughters.

 

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