The Metal Highway Bridges of Fulton County Thematic Resources is the title for a Multiple Property Submission to the National Register of Historic Places in the U.S. state of Illinois. Originally the submission included nine separate bridges throughout Fulton County; however, since the Metal Highway Bridges' inclusion on the Register in 1980, more than half of those bridges have been destroyed.[3]
The nine bridges are all located in rural settings. Away from cities and towns, the bridges were all located along dirt roads, though they were still all accessible by automobile save one. Even so, they were really only accessible in dry weather as rain renders many Illinois dirt roads impassable for the average car.
The original submission consisted of nine steeltruss highway bridges in Fulton County, of nearly identical construction, spanning the Spoon River.[1] They were located in or near various communities, and were collectively admitted to the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1980.[2]
The nine bridges that make up the Metal Highway Bridges of Fulton County were all constructed between c. 1880 and c. 1915. All nine bridges were and are located on county and township roads in rural settings, and are all very similar in their construction materials and methods. They are early examples of steel truss bridges in Illinois.
Construction
The bridges in Fulton County exhibit two types of steel truss bridge construction, Pratt bridge and Parker, which were the most common early types of steel truss bridges.[1] Due to variation within each type of bridge, the collection in Fulton County offered a unique opportunity to view the evolution of late 19th and early 20th century steel truss bridge construction. For example, the now-demolished London Mills Bridge, a Pratt built in 1883, featured pinned connection and double eyebars for the lower chord and for the diagonals. This is compared to the also destroyed Indian Ford Bridge, a Pratt bridge built in 1917, which used riveted connections and I-beam construction for its lower chords and diagonals.[1]
Each of the bridges utilized similar construction materials; each one is/was almost all steel, with the possible exception of the London Mills Bridge and the Seville Bridge. Those two bridges—only the Seville still stands—are mostly steel but may include some iron construction due to their age. The bottom chords of the bridges range from 140 feet (43m) to 200 feet (61m) and the width averages 16 feet (4.9m).[1] In their massing, each bridge displays the lightness characteristic to metal bridges of the time period, although the later bridges began to exhibit characteristics more associated with modern steel truss bridges.[1]
Destruction
The Elrod Bridge was completely destroyed by an F-4 tornado that moved through Fulton county during a 1995 tornado outbreak.[citation needed]
Significance
Together, the nine steel truss bridges stood out because of their proximity to each other within Fulton County. Indeed, they also held historical significance for their age and as examples of early steel truss bridge construction; but it is rare to find such a concentrated collection of so clearly related sites.[1] When they were nominated for the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, before some were destroyed, they were the subject of local tours by canoe and road.[1]
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 Babylon Bend Bridge is one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois listed on the National Register of Historic Places and still standing. This bridge was built in 1890 over the Spoon River and is located along Illinois Route 123 near Ellisville. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1980, along with the eight other bridges, as one of the "Metal Highway Bridges of Fulton County. Some of the other bridges included the now demolished Duncan Mills Bridge in Lewistown and the Indian Ford Bridge in London Mills, Illinois. In total, six of the nine bridges have been destroyed.
The Duncan Mills Bridge was one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois nominated for the National Register of Historic Places. This particular one was located along west of Havana, Illinois near Lewistown. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1980, along with the seven of the eight other bridges, as one of the "Metal Highway Bridges of Fulton County". Some of the other bridges include the now demolished Buckeye Bridge and the Tartar's Ferry Bridge, both near Smithfield.
The Indian Ford Bridge was one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This particular one was located along County Highway 20 as spans the Spoon River, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southwest of London Mills. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1980, along with the eight other bridges, as one of the "Metal Highway Bridges of Fulton County." Some of the other bridges included London Mill's only other Registered Historic Place, the now demolished London Mills Bridge. Other demolished bridges include the Elrod Bridge, Duncan Mills Bridge and Buckeye Bridge.
The London Mills Bridge was one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This particular one was located along County Highway 39 as it spans the Spoon River on the north side of London Mills. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1980, along with the eight other bridges, as one of the "Metal Highway Bridges of Fulton County". Some of the other bridges included London Mill's only other Registered Historic Place, the Indian Ford Bridge.
The Seville Bridge is one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois that were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This particular one is located across the Spoon River in Seville. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1980, along with the eight other bridges, as one of the "Metal Highway Bridges of Fulton County. Some of the other bridges include the Buckeye Bridge, Tartar's Ferry Bridge and the Bernadotte Bridge, all in Smithfield. Five of the nine bridges have been demolished, though Seville Bridge still stands.
The Bernadotte Bridge at Bernadotte, built in 1910, is one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge is located along County Route 2 between Smithfield, Illinois to the north, and Ipava, Illinois to the south. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1980, along with the eight other bridges, as one of the "Metal Highway Bridges of Fulton County". The bridge is one of three near Smithfield listed on the Register, the others are the Buckeye Bridge and the Tartar's Ferry Bridge. A fourth bridge near the Smithfield was included on the Register but removed in 1996, following its 1995 destruction.
Buckeye Bridge also known as White's Ferry Bridge was one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois once listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Buckeye is one of the five bridges that have been demolished out of nine similar bridges in the county. This particular one was over the Spoon River near Smithfield, Illinois. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1980, along with the eight other bridges, as one of the "Metal Highway Bridges of Fulton County". The bridge was one of three near Smithfield listed on the Register, the others are the Bernadotte Bridge and the Tartar's Ferry Bridge. Others, such as the Babylon Bend Bridge in Ellisville, are located throughout the county. Another Smithfield area bridge, Elrod Bridge, was nominated with the original Multiple Property Submission but removed from the Register after its 1995 destruction by an F-4 tornado.
Tarter's Ferry Bridge was one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This particular one was a 9-panel Parker through truss that carried Tarter Ferry Road over the Spoon River near Smithfield, Illinois. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1980, along with the eight other bridges, as one of the "Metal Highway Bridges of Fulton County. The bridge was one of three in Smithfield listed on the Register, the others are the Bernadotte Bridge and the destroyed Buckeye Bridge, as well as the demolished Elrod Bridge. Others, such as the Duncan Mills Bridge in Lewistown, are located throughout the county.
Elrod Bridge was one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois once listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was listed from 1980 until 1995.
The Lyndon Bridge is a metal Parker Pratt through truss bridge in the village of Lyndon, Whiteside County, Illinois, United States. The Lyndon Bridge was designed by engineer R.S. Riser and completed in 1894 for around $20,000. Whiteside County maintained the bridge from its construction until it was closed to all traffic in 1980. In 1995, as the county was about to demolish the bridge, a group of citizens worked together and saved it from demolition. The bridge was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
The Dodd Ford Bridge is a bridge spanning the Blue Earth River about 1 mile (2 km) southwest of Amboy, Minnesota, in Blue Earth County, Minnesota.
The Denison Bridge is a heritage-listed footbridge over the Macquarie River in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is the fourth oldest metal truss bridge existing in Australia.
The Clinton Falls Bridge, also known as the Old Mill Bridge and formally as Bridge L-5573, is a historic steel Pratt through truss bridge that spans the Straight River in Clinton Falls Township, Minnesota. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 as Bridge No. L-5573 for having local significance in the theme of engineering. It was nominated for being an example of early steel truss bridge design in Minnesota.
The Sheely Bridge, originally known as the Carbondale Bridge, carries pedestrian traffic across the Roaring Fork River at Mill Street Park in Aspen, Colorado, United States. It is a short steel truss bridge originally located downstream in Carbondale and later moved to its present location.
The AJX Bridge is a historic Pratt truss bridge in southwestern Johnson County, Wyoming. The bridge was built in 1931 across the South Fork of the Powder River near Kaycee, Wyoming. AJX Bridge was built to provide a river crossing for U.S. Route 87. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 as part of a Multiple Property Submission devoted to historic bridges in Wyoming.
The Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge, formerly known as South Branch Bridge or Romney Bridge, is a historic Whipple truss bridge in Capon Lake, West Virginia. It is located off Carpers Pike and crosses the Cacapon River. The bridge formerly carried Capon Springs Road over the river, connecting Capon Springs and Capon Lake.
The bridge is significant locally as the only Pratt through-truss bridge remaining in Kosciusko County, and is important regionally as one of the few surviving spans built by the Bellefontaine Bridge and Iron Company.
The Lincoln Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge, just south of U.S. Route 4 in West Woodstock, Vermont. Built in 1877, it is one of the only known examples of a wooden Pratt truss bridge in the United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The Parshallburg Bridge, also known as the Ditch Road Bridge, was a bridge that originally carried Ditch Road over the Shiawassee River near Oakley, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. It was the only known Thacher through truss bridge in Michigan, and one of only a few remaining in the nation. In 1999, the bridge was moved to a new location, and in 2008 was washed off its piers and destroyed.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
