Elm Grove Stone Arch Bridge

Last updated
Elm Grove Stone Arch Bridge
Elm Grove Stone Arch Bridge.jpg
The bridge in 2010
USA West Virginia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationUS 40.svg US 40, Wheeling, West Virginia
Coordinates 40°2′36.89″N80°39′31.55″W / 40.0435806°N 80.6587639°W / 40.0435806; -80.6587639 Coordinates: 40°2′36.89″N80°39′31.55″W / 40.0435806°N 80.6587639°W / 40.0435806; -80.6587639
Area0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built1817
ArchitectMoses Shepherd
Architectural styleStone Arch
NRHP reference No. 81000606 [1]
Added to NRHPAugust 21, 1981

The Elm Grove Stone Arch Bridge, also known as the Monument Place Bridge, is the oldest extant bridge, built in 1817, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The bridge carries U.S. Route 40 over Little Wheeling Creek in Elm Grove. The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 21, 1981.

Contents

History

Colonel Moses Shepherd (1763–1832), son of David Shepherd and Rachel (née Teague) Shepherd and first husband of Lydia (née Boggs) Shepherd Cruger (1766–1867), moved to Wheeling with his parents and siblings from Shepherdstown, West Virginia about 1771 and built his prominent home, Shepherd Hall, in 1798. Shepherd rose to prominence in the area and befriended House Speaker Henry Clay, a friendship credited with the National Road running through Wheeling as well as Shepherd being awarded contracts to construct all bridges along the National Road in Ohio County [2]

The construction on the bridge began in 1817 and was completed later the same year. The bridge saw remodeling in 1931 and reinforced in 1953. The bridge is still in use today, still carrying traffic along Route 40.

Appearance

1920 postcard of the bridge. Oldstonebridge.jpg
1920 postcard of the bridge.

The Elm Grove Stone Arch Bridge is a 3 span stone arched bridge. The bridge is constructed with solid uncoarsed limestone blocks. The bridge reaches 208 feet in length over the Little Wheeling Creek below. The middle arch spans 38 feet with two arches to either side spanning 25 feet. The arches are shaped in an ellipse pattern rather than the popular semicircular pattern for aesthetic reasons giving the bridge a "humpback" appearance.

Original buttresses were removed in 1931 to make room for sidewalks on either side of the driving lanes. In 1953 the bridge was sprayed with gunite to reinforce and strengthen the bridge. The road has been paved with asphalt several times but has not destroyed the natural integrity in which it was designed and built in 1817.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Road</span> Early American improved highway

The National Road was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the 620-mile (1,000 km) road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main transport path to the West for thousands of settlers. When improved in the 1830s, it became the second U.S. road surfaced with the macadam process pioneered by Scotsman John Loudon McAdam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 470 (Ohio–West Virginia)</span> Highway in Ohio and West Virginia

Interstate 470 (I-470) is a 10.63-mile-long (17.11 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway of I-70 that bypasses the city of Wheeling, West Virginia, in the US. I-470 is one of 13 auxiliary Interstate Highways in Ohio and the only auxiliary Interstate Highway in West Virginia. The western terminus of I-470 is an interchange with I-70 in Richland Township, Ohio. Traveling southeast through rural Belmont County, I-470 approaches the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge, which spans the Ohio River. After crossing the river into Ohio County, West Virginia, the highway turns east toward the Wheeling communities of Bethlehem and Elm Grove and its eastern terminus at I-70 near Elm Grove. The portion of the highway in West Virginia is named the USS West Virginia Memorial Highway by proclamation of then-Governor Cecil H. Underwood on the 59th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shepherd Hall</span> Historic house in West Virginia, United States

Shepherd Hall, also known as Monument Place and formerly as Stone Mansion, is a historic house listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the city of Wheeling in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located in the Elm Grove area of Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lemuel Chenoweth</span> American architect

Lemuel Chenoweth was a carpenter, legislator and self-taught architect. He is best known as one of 19th century America's master covered bridge builders.

Lewis Steenrod was a nineteenth-century politician and lawyer from Virginia, who helped secure Congressional authorization of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge but who later opposed secession of what became West Virginia months before his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheeling Creek (West Virginia)</span> River in West Virginia, United States

Wheeling Creek is a tributary of the Ohio River, 25 miles (40 km) long, in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia in the United States, with a watershed extending into southwestern Pennsylvania. Via the Ohio River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of approximately 300 square miles (780 km2) on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau. It flows into the Ohio River in downtown Wheeling, just downstream of Ohio's Wheeling Creek on the opposite bank. A variant name is Big Wheeling Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B & O Railroad Viaduct</span> United States historic place

B & O Railroad Viaduct is a historic structure in Bellaire, Ohio, listed in the National Register of Historic Places on June 22, 1976.

Elm Grove is within Wheeling city limits in Ohio County, West Virginia, United States. It lies at an elevation of 774 feet (236 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 70 in West Virginia</span> Highway in West Virginia

Interstate 70 (I-70) is a portion of the Interstate Highway System that runs from near Cove Fort, Utah, at a junction with I-15 to Baltimore, Maryland. It crosses the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia through Ohio County and the city of Wheeling. This segment is the shortest of all states through which I-70 passes, crossing West Virginia for only 14.45 miles (23.26 km). The longest segment is Colorado's, which measures 451.04 miles (725.88 km). The Fort Henry Bridge carries I-70 from Wheeling Island across the Ohio River and into downtown Wheeling before the freeway enters the Wheeling Tunnel. I-470, a southerly bypass of Wheeling and the lone auxiliary Interstate Highway in West Virginia, is intersected near Elm Grove. Before crossing into Pennsylvania, I-70 passes The Highlands, a major shopping center in the panhandle, and the Bear Rocks Lake Wildlife Management Area. On average, between 27,000 and 53,000 vehicles use the freeway every day.

Stone Arch Bridge may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S Bridge, National Road</span> United States historic place

The S Bridge is a historic stone arch bridge, spanning Salt Fork about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Old Washington, Ohio. Built in 1828, it is one of the best-preserved surviving bridges built for the westward expansion of the National Road from Wheeling, West Virginia to Columbus, Ohio. S bridges derive their name from the sharply curving approaches to the span. The bridge was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964. The bridge is closed to traffic, and may be seen from Blend Road on the north and Rhinehart Road on the south.

The Bridgeport Lamp Chimney Company Bowstring Concrete Arch Bridge is located between Mechanic Street and Baltimore and Ohio Railroad tracks in Bridgeport, West Virginia. The bridge was constructed in 1924, designed by Frank McEnteer. This elegant bowstring reinforced concrete arch bridge represents a traditional bridge type which was readily adapted to what was essentially a new construction material: reinforced concrete. Unlike a rail or road bridge, this bridge can be considered an unusual pedestrian bridge in that it was built by the Bridgeport Lamp Chimney Company in 1924 to provide access from the glass plant to a warehouse on the other side of Simpson Creek. The bridge was designed to carry hand carts with glass products across the river to the warehouse. The bridge remains the only evidence of the original works, and its successor, Master Glass Company. Thus the bridge stands in splendid isolation from any other structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elm Street Stone Arch Bridge</span> Bridge in NY, USA

The Elm Street Stone Arch Bridge is located along that street in Pine Hill, New York, United States. It is a short bridge built over Alton Creek in the early 20th century using stonemasonry techniques and an arch bridge design that had been employed in the Catskills since the 18th century, one. As one of the few extant and intact bridges in that style in the region, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 along with the nearby Mill Street Stone Arch Bridge. It is located in the Pine Hill Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blaine Hill "S" Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Blaine Hill "S" Bridge is located over Wheeling Creek at the western boundaries of Blaine in Belmont County, Ohio, United States. The bridge was designated the Ohio Bicentennial Bridge in 2003, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 17, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Metre Ford Stone Bridge</span> Historic stone arch bridge located near Martinsburg, Berkeley County, West Virginia

Van Metre Ford Stone Bridge is a historic stone arch bridge located near Martinsburg, Berkeley County, West Virginia. Built by Pennsylvania builder Silas Harry, it was built in 1832, and is a three span bridge crossing Opequon Creek. It is 132 feet long and constructed of ashlar limestone. The center span measures 32 feet and the two side spans are each 29.5 feet long.

The Champion Bridge Company, formerly known as Champion Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company, is a steel fabrication business based in Wilmington, Ohio, in the United States. It has been in business since the 1870s, and several of its works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacketts Brook Stone Arch Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Sacketts Brook Stone Arch Bridge, also known locally as the Hi-Lo Biddy Stone Arch Bridge, is a historic bridge just outside the village of Putney, Vermont. It is a stone arch bridge that formerly carried Mill Street across Sacketts Brook, about 0.25 miles (0.40 km) east of United States Route 5. It was built in 1906 by James Otis Follett, an area stonemason, and is one of a few surviving examples of his work. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Wheeling, West Virginia, US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Sixth Street Bridge</span> Historic bridge in Austin, Texas

The West Sixth Street Bridge is a historic stone arch bridge in downtown Austin, Texas. Built in 1887, the bridge is one of the state's oldest masonry arch bridges. It is located at the site of the first bridge in Austin, carrying Sixth Street across Shoal Creek to link the western and central parts of the old city. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Fifth Street Bridge at Shoal Creek</span> Historic bridge in Austin, Texas

The West Fifth Street Bridge is a historic cantilever concrete girder bridge in downtown Austin, Texas. Built in 1931, the bridge carries Fifth Street across Shoal Creek to link central Austin with neighborhoods that were then the city's western suburbs. It is one of only a handful of curved cantilever girder bridges in Texas, built as part of the city's 1928 master plan for urban development and beautification. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Michael J. Pauley (July 1981). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Elm Grove Stone Arch Bridge" (PDF). State of West Virginia, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2011-09-01.