a bridge to the past

Something that alludes to or elicits an emotional connection with a past person, thing, event, or period. Her new novel creates a bridge to the past, as it recounts her grandmother's journey from Siberia to New York City. Rather than demolishing the aging factory, the city has instead decided to maintain it as a museum so that it may stand as a permanent bridge to the past. I love going looking at the Gothic architecture in this part of town—it's truly a bridge to the past.