Golden Hill Bridge

Last updated
Golden Hill Bridge
GoldenHill BridgeDSC 7656.jpg
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationGolden Hill Rd., Lee, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°19′18″N73°14′33″W / 42.32167°N 73.24250°W / 42.32167; -73.24250
ArchitectBerlin Iron Bridge Co.
Architectural styleLenticular pony truss
NRHP reference No. 93001592 [1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 9, 1994

The Golden Hill Bridge is a historic bridge on Golden Hill Road over the Housatonic River in Lee, Massachusetts. It is a lenticular pony truss bridge built c. 1885 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company, and is the state's oldest surviving bridge of this type. It is one of only five Berlin Co. bridges in the Berkshires, and is the only known surviving bridge to implement modifications to the pony truss design patented by William O. Douglas in 1885. [2] The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. [1]

Contents

Description and history

The Golden Hill Bridge is located in a rural setting in northern Lee, carrying Golden Hill Road, a local through street, across the Housatonic River in an east–west orientation. It is a single-span iron lenticular pony truss structure, 80 feet 8 inches (24.59 m) long and 16 feet 6 inches (5.03 m) wide, resting on concrete abutments. The truss depth at the center of the span is 7 feet 5 inches (2.26 m). [2] The bridge deck consists of modern steel I-beam stringers supporting a concrete road surface.

A bridge has been documented to stand at this location as early as the 1790s. A bridge at the site underwent repairs in 1866, but was judged to be in need of repair or replacement in 1885. The town contracted for the trusses with the Berlin Iron Bridge Company, then a major producer of bridge trusses, and the bridge was completed for $1,000. In 1965, the state added a metal grid deck, and in 1970 it replaced the original deck supports with I-beams. [2] In 1992, after the bridge was closed to vehicular traffic, the state began proceedings to consider replacement of the aging structure. It was further closed to pedestrians in 1996. [2] The bridge finally underwent major restorative work in 2005, and is again open to traffic.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truss bridge</span> Bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss

A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. The basic types of truss bridges shown in this article have simple designs which could be easily analyzed by 19th and early 20th-century engineers. A truss bridge is economical to construct because it uses materials efficiently.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interlaken Mill Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Interlaken Mill Bridge is an historic bridge spanning the Pawtuxet River at the site of the former Arkwright and Interlaken mill complexes in Coventry, Rhode Island. The lenticular pony truss bridge was built in 1885 by the Interlaken Corporation to provide a direct connection between the mill sites, having recently (1883) acquired the Arkwright property. The trusses were manufactured by the Berlin Iron Bridge Co. of Berlin, Connecticut. The bridge is a single span measuring 92 feet (28 m) in length and just under 19 feet (5.8 m) in width, resting on stone abutments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bardwell's Ferry Bridge</span> Bridge in Conway, Massachusetts

The Bardwell's Ferry Bridge, built in 1882, is a historic lenticular truss bridge spanning the Deerfield River between the towns of Shelburne and Conway in Franklin County, Massachusetts. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated as a Massachusetts Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hadley Parabolic Bridge</span> Bridge in NY, USA

The Hadley Parabolic Bridge, often referred to locally as the Hadley Bow Bridge, carries Corinth Road across the Sacandaga River in Hadley, New York, United States. It is an iron bridge dating from the late 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lover's Leap Bridge</span> United States Historic Place

The Lover's Leap Bridge is a wrought-iron lenticular truss bridge over the Housatonic River located in Lovers Leap State Park in New Milford, Connecticut. Built in 1895 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company, it is one of the last bridges built by the company and is a particularly ornate example of its work. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and is now open only for foot traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Falls Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Glen Falls Bridge is a historic bridge that formerly carried Brunswick Avenue over the Moosup River in Plainfield, Connecticut. Built in 1886 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company, it is one of a shrinking number of surviving 19th-century lenticular truss bridges in the state. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. It has been closed to all traffic for many years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashland Mill Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Ashland Mill Bridge was a lenticular pony truss bridge over the Pachaug River in Griswold, Connecticut that was built in 1886 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company. It was built following the Ashland dam break of February 1886 which washed away the previous bridges. The bridge served the millyard of the Ashland Cotton Company, in the Jewett City section of Griswold. The bridge was 65 feet (20 m) long and crossed a millrace on a skew angle. The Ashland Mill was damaged by arson in March 1995 and subsequently torn down, but the bridge itself remained. By 1999, the town deemed the bridge unsafe and closed it, and by February 1999, the bridge was moved to a vacant parking lot and was replaced with a new bridge. The bridge was added to the state of Connecticut historic register and it was later added to the National Register of Historic Places in April 1999. It was removed from the National Register in February 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turn-of-River Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Turn-of-River Bridge, also known as Old North Stamford Road Bridge, is a single-span lenticular pony truss bridge built by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company in 1892. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. It formerly brought the Old Stamford Road across the Rippowam River, but is now open only to pedestrian traffic, as the road ends shortly before the bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berlin Iron Bridge Co.</span> American company (1868–1900)

The Berlin Iron Bridge Company was a Berlin, Connecticut company that built iron bridges and buildings that were supported by iron. It is credited as the architect of numerous bridges and buildings now listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It eventually became part of the American Bridge Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old US 41–Backwater Creek Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Old US 41–Backwater Creek Bridge is a bridge located on an abandoned section of US Highway 41 (US 41) over Backwater Creek in Baraga Township, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crossman Bridge</span> Bridge in Warren, Massachusetts

The Crossman Bridge, also known as the Gilbert Road Bridge, is a truss bridge located in Warren, Massachusetts, carrying Gilbert Road across the Quaboag River. Built in 1888 and rehabilitated in 2004-08, it is one of the few surviving lenticular truss bridges in Massachusetts, and the only known lenticular pony truss bridge. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

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

The Foundry Bridge is a historic Warren pony truss bridge, carrying Foundry Road across the First Branch White River in Tunbridge, Vermont. Built in 1889, it is one of the state's oldest wrought iron bridges, and the only surviving example in the state of work by the Vermont Construction Company, its only local manufacturer of such bridges. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lover's Lane Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Lover's Lane Bridge is a historic bridge spanning the Dog River in Berlin, Vermont. Built in 1915, it is a rare early 20th-century example of a Warren pony truss bridge. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 as Bridge No. 27.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridge 9 (Sheldon, Vermont)</span> United States historic place

Bridge 9 is a historic Parker through truss bridge, carrying Shawville Road across the Missisquoi River in Sheldon, Vermont. Built in 1928 after Vermont's devastating 1927 floods, it is one of the few surviving Parker truss bridges on the Missisquoi. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas & Jarvis Patent Parabolic Truss Iron Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Douglas & Jarvis Patent Parabolic Truss Iron Bridge is a historic bridge across the Missisquoi River in Highgate, Vermont. Located at the end of Mill Hill Road, it is at 215 feet (66 m) one of the longest bridges of its type in the northeastern United States. It was built in 1887, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Boardman Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Old Boardman Bridge, formerly Boardman Bridge, is a historic lenticular truss bridge, which used to carry Boardman Road across the Housatonic River in New Milford, Connecticut. Built from 1887 to 1888 out of wrought iron, it is one of the state's three surviving examples of this bridge type, and along with Lover's Leap Bridge, one of two in New Milford. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The bridge was closed to vehicles in 1984 and to pedestrians in 1985; however, the Town of New Milford is seeking to restore it and reopen it to pedestrian traffic.

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

The Minortown Road Bridge is a historic lenticular pony truss bridge in northeastern Woodbury, Connecticut. It spans the Nonewaug River, connecting U.S. Route 6 (US 6) to Minortown Road and Mill Road. Built in 1890 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company, it is one a small number of surviving lenticular truss bridges in the state. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

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

The Melrose Road Bridge is a historic bridge at the western end of Melrose Road in East Windsor, Connecticut. Built in 1888, it is one of a small number of surviving 19th-century lenticular pony truss bridge in the state. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. It has been closed for many years, and lacks stringers and decking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Bridge (Meriden, Connecticut)</span> United States historic place

The Red Bridge is a historic bridge spanning the Quinnipiac River near Oregon Road in Meriden, Connecticut. It was built in 1891 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company, and is one of a small number of surviving lenticular truss bridges in the state, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. The bridge is open to pedestrian traffic only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Avenue Bridge (Waterbury, Connecticut)</span> United States historic place

The Washington Avenue Bridge is a historic lenticular truss bridge carrying Washington Avenue over the Mad River in Waterbury, Connecticut. Built in 1881, it is the oldest known surviving example of a lenticular pony truss bridge built by the Corrugated Metal Company, later known as the Berlin Iron Bridge Company, a prolific bridge maker in New England of the late 19th century. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "NRHP nomination and MACRIS inventory record for Golden Hill Bridge". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2013-11-29.