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.
The Wisconsin Bridge and Iron Company (WB&I) was a fabricator and erector of iron and steel bridges and other large structures.
The Phoenix Iron Works, located in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, was a manufacturer of iron and related products during the 19th century and early 20th century. Phoenix Iron Company was a major producer of cannons for the Union Army during the American Civil War. The company also produced the Phoenix column, an advance in construction material. Company facilities are a core component of the Phoenixville Historic District, a National Register of Historic Places site that was in 2006 recognized as a historic landmark by ASM International.
The Swann Covered Bridge, also called the Joy Covered Bridge or Swann-Joy Covered Bridge, is a county-owned, wood-and-metal combination style covered bridge that spans the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River in Blount County, Alabama, United States. It is located on Swann Bridge Road off State Route 79, just west of the town of Cleveland, about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Oneonta.
Zenas King was an American bridge builder. He started his career in 1858 and moved from Cincinnati to Cleveland, Ohio, around 1861. He established a bridge-building works on Wason Street in Cleveland in 1865. King founded the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company in 1871. As early as 1878, it was manufacturing many types of truss, combination, and wooden bridges, and by the 1880s it was the largest highway bridge works in the United States. Production moved from Wason Street to larger facilities on Ruskin Avenue in 1888. The company changed its name to the King Bridge Company after his death.
The King Iron Bridge & Manufacturing Company was a late-19th-century bridge building company located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was founded by Zenas King (1818–1892) in 1858 and subsequently managed by his sons, James A. King and Harry W. King and then his grandson, Norman C. King, until the mid-1920s. Many of the bridges built by the company were used during America's expansion west in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and some of these bridges are still standing today.
Jefferson is an unincorporated community in Marengo County, Alabama, United States. It is the birthplace of sculptor Geneva Mercer.
The Crum Road Bridge is a historic bridge near Frederick, Frederick County, Maryland, United States. It spanned Israel Creek southeast of Walkersville. The bridge is an iron bowstring pony bridge that is 62 feet (19 m) in length and 15.8 feet (4.8 m) in width. The Crum Road Bridge was built on or about 1875, and was probably constructed by the King Iron Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio.
The bridge at New Bridge Landing, New Jersey was built in 1888 to replace an earlier wooden one, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 5, 1989.
The Sparkill Creek Drawbridge is a historic Pratt Pony Truss drawbridge located at Piermont in Rockland County, New York. It was built in 1880 by the King Iron Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio, and is a single-leaf movable metal bridge. Chains can lift the bridge when an operator turns a crank, helped by counterweights. It spans Sparkill Creek, a tributary of the Hudson River.
The Skunk River Bridge is a Warren truss bridge that crosses Skunk River near Ames, Iowa in Story County, Iowa. It was built in 1876, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
The Second Street Bridge is a one-lane, single-span truss bridge in Allegan, in the U.S. state of Michigan, that carries Second Street over the Kalamazoo River. It is a Michigan State Historic Site, a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1886, the bridge replaced an earlier wooden structure. In the early 1980s, the bridge underwent significant renovation.
Aqueduct Bridge, also known as the Coffey Bridge and Clay County Bridge # 182, is a historic Pratt through truss and Pratt pony truss bridge located in Perry Township and Sugar Ridge Township, Clay County, Indiana. The original span was built by the Cleveland Bridge and Iron Company in 1880 and the second section by the Vincennes Bridge Company in 1920. It carries Towpath Road over Birch Creek. The original span measures 60 feet long and the second span 102 feet long. They rest on concrete abutments and a central pier.
The Mill Creek Bridge is located north of Cherokee, Iowa, United States. It spans Mill Creek for 207 feet (63 m). On June 24, 1891, a disastrous flood along the Little Sioux River and its tributaries wiped out nearly every bridge in Cherokee County. The following month the county board of supervisors signed a contract with the George E. King Bridge Co. of Des Moines for 17,650 to replace the bridges. This Pratt truss bridge was fabricated by the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio. It and a similar span over Mill Creek near Larrabee are the only two that remain. This bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. A modern concrete span, built just upstream in 2006, now carries the road. The old bridge is closed to vehicular traffic.
The Adel Bridge is located on the east edge of Adel, Iowa, United States. The 400-foot (120 m) span carried traffic on River Street over the Raccoon River. The Dallas County Board of Supervisors received a petition to replace a deteriorating bridge at this location. The old bridge had been built where ferry service had been initiated in 1850, three years after the town had been established. They contracted with the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing of Cleveland to build the two-span Pratt through truss bridge for $12,500. It was a primary river crossing into Adel until 1932 when the U.S. Highway 6 bridge was completed not far to the south. While it remains in place, it was closed to vehicular traffic in 2000. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
The Morgan Bridge is a historic structure, originally located southeast of Old Peru, Iowa, United States. It spanned a branch of Clanton Creek for 60 feet (18 m). The wrought iron or steel Pratt pony truss was manufactured by the King Iron Bridge & Manufacturing Company of Cleveland. Benton Jones of Winterset, Iowa assembled it for $376.39. The approaches are timber stringer spans, and it is supported by timber pile bents. The bridge has not been operational for years. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. The span originally served a remote crossing, but has subsequently been relocated and is now owned by the Madison County Historical Society.
The Miller Bridge is a historic structure, originally located northeast of Winterset, Iowa, United States. It spanned an unnamed stream for 128 feet (39 m). The Madison County Board of Supervisors contracted with King and Twiss of Des Moines to supply the wrought iron Pratt pony truss. Local contractors H.P. Jones and G.K. Foster built the iron tube substructure and erected the truss manufactured by the King Iron Bridge & Manufacturing Company of Cleveland. The total cost of the project was $2,197.55. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. The span was moved in 2008.
Lower Road Bridge is a historic structure located northwest of Anamosa, Iowa, United States. It spans Buffalo Creek for 160 feet (49 m). The King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Co. of Cleveland erected a bowstring through arch truss and a shorter pony arch in 1878 for what was historically called Lower Road. The bridge's superstructure consists of a large stone masonry pier and abutments. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. The county abandoned the bridge and it is now privately owned.
Corbett's/Eby's Mill Bridge is a historic structure located northeast of Scotch Grove, Iowa, United States. It spans the Maquoketa River for 128 feet (39 m). James S. Applegate established a gristmill near this location in 1858. He was joined by John Corbett, who obtained ownership by 1868 and expanded the operation and added a sawmill. He petitioned the Jones County Board of Supervisors for an iron bridge at this location in 1870. They agreed to pay two-thirds of the construction costs with the final third paid for by local subscriptions. The contract to construct this bridge and a similar span in Monticello was made with Miller, Jamison & Company of Cleveland. Both are single span bowstring truss bridges that were completed in November 1871. This bridge has always been identified with the mill. Samuel Eby acquired it in 1875, and it remained in the family until 1913. The bridge was originally on a loop road that circled behind the mill pond. When County Road X73 was created in 1958 it bypassed the bridge to the south. The bridge has been under private ownership ever since. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
The Fish Creek Bridge is a historic structure that was originally located east of Salem, Iowa, United States. The span carried Hickory Road over Fish Creek for 50 feet (15 m). It is a small-scale, wrought-iron bridge that the Henry County Board of Supervisors bought from the George E. King Bridge Company of Des Moines in 1893 for $410.80. It was believed to have been fabricated by their parent company, King Iron Bridge Company of Cleveland, and assembled by local laborers. Its historical significance derived from its being an uncommon variant of the Pratt truss. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. Subsequently, the bridge has been replaced at its original location, and the historic structure was moved to Oakland Mills Park.
