Parshallburg Bridge

Last updated
Parshallburg Bridge
Parshallburg Bridge.jpg
Nearest city Oakley, Michigan
Coordinates 43°08′38″N84°08′07″W / 43.14389°N 84.13528°W / 43.14389; -84.13528 (Parshallburg Bridge) Coordinates: 43°08′38″N84°08′07″W / 43.14389°N 84.13528°W / 43.14389; -84.13528 (Parshallburg Bridge)
Arealess than one acre
Built1889 (1889)
Built byWrought Iron Bridge Company
Architectural styleThacher through truss
Demolished1999
NRHP reference No. 94001168 [1]
Added to NRHPOctober 12, 1994

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. [1] It was the only known Thacher through truss bridge in Michigan, and one of only a few remaining in the nation. [2] In 1999, the bridge was moved to a new location, and in 2008 was washed off its piers and destroyed. [3]

Contents

History

In 1855, Israel Parshall dammed the Shiawassee River at this location and constructed saw and grist mills located on opposite banks. A hamlet sprang up around the mills, originally called Havana but later known as Parshallville or Parshallburg. It is likely that the first bridge at this location was constructed soon after the mills, and that the original bridge was replaced at a later date, perhaps in the 1870s. An 1889 edition of the Chesaning Argus describes this second bridge as an "iron bridge put up on piles only a few years ago." However, by 1889 this bridge had grown dangerous, and the local highway commission decided to replace it. They contracted with the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio to construct a new iron bridge. New abutments were constructed in the summer of 1889, and assembly of the bridge began soon after. [2]

The bridge remained in service until the 1980s. In 1986, it was identified as critically in need of replacement, and in 1992 it was closed to traffic. [2] In 1999, the bridge was relocated to Chesaning, Michigan. However, the piers at the new location were too low for the surrounding area, and in late 2008, the bridge was washed away off its piers by flood and ice, and completely destroyed. [3]

Description

The Parshallburg Bridge was a single-span, Thacher metal through truss bridge, likely made of wrought and cast iron. The Thacher through truss was invented in 1883 by Edwin Thacher, who was then chief engineer of the Keystone Bridge Company of Pittsburgh. Thacher described the truss design as a "combination of the triangular [Pratt/Warren] and suspension [Bollman/Fink] systems," and was designed to eliminate stresses (and subsequent maintenance issues) due to temperature changes. [2]

The Parshallburg Bridge was as eight-panel structure with a length of 140 feet (43 m) and a deck width of 17.8 feet (5.4 m) sitting on rubble fieldstone abutments. The bridge's end and upper chords are constructed from parallel channels riveted to cover plates above and lattice bars below. The vertical posts and struts are constructed from two riveted angles connected by lattice bars. The center ties, inclined suspenders, and the lower chords are constructed from eyebars. The top lateral bracing is made of tie rods with turnbuckles. On each end of the bridge was a cast-iron plaque with the words "WROUGHT IRON BRIDGE CO., BUILDERS, CANTON, OHIO." [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge

The Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge at Savage, Maryland is the sole surviving example of a revolutionary design in the history of American bridge engineering. The 160-foot (48.8 m) double-span is a suspension truss bridge. The first Bollman bridge was installed on the site; however, the current bridge is not the original. The current bridge was built in 1852 and moved to the site thirty years later. It is one of the oldest standing iron railroad bridges in the United States. Currently, however, it is in use carrying the Savage Mill Trail across the Little Patuxent River.

Patterson Viaduct

The Patterson Viaduct was built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) as part of its Old Main Line during May to December 1829. The viaduct spanned the Patapsco River at Ilchester, Maryland. It was heavily damaged by a flood in 1866 and subsequently replaced with other structures.

Starr Mill Road Bridge United States historic place

The Starr Mill Road Bridge is a historic bridge in Middletown, Connecticut. It is a single span Warren through truss bridge, spanning the Coginchaug River near the Starr Mill complex on the west bank of the river. Built in 1927 by the Berlin Construction Company, it is one of a shrinking number of period metal truss bridges in the state. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. It is closed to all forms of passage.

Blackfriars Street Bridge

Blackfriars Bridge in London, Ontario, Canada is a wrought iron bowstring arch through truss bridge, crossing the North Thames River. The bridge was constructed in 1875 and carries single-lane vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians from Blackfriars Street to Ridout Street North.

Hadley Parabolic Bridge

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.

Lilley Road–Lower Rouge River Bridge United States historic place

The Lilley Road—Lower Rouge River Bridge is an automotive bridge located on Lilley Road over the Lower River Rouge in Canton, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

Clinton Falls Bridge

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.

Indian Creek Bridge United States historic place

The Indian Creek Bridge is a wrought iron bridge, built about 1880 to the east of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The bridge crosses a tributary of the Cedar River in Linn County. It was designed and built by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company (WIBCO) of Canton, Ohio as an eight-panel pin-connected through truss in an unusual double-intersection Pratt design.

Bell Road Bridge NRHP-listed bridge in United States

The Bell Road Bridge is a Pratt through truss bridge in Dexter Township, Washtenaw County, Michigan. Built in 1891, the bridge carried Bell Road over the Huron River. Since 1997, the bridge has sat on the riverbank, overgrown with brush. The bridge is a Michigan State Historic Site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Delhi Bridge

The Delhi Bridge, also known as the East Delhi Bridge, is a one-lane, wrought iron Pratt through truss bridge that carries East Delhi Road over the Huron River in Washtenaw County, Michigan. The bridge was completed October 12, 1883 to replace a wooden span built in 1851. In 1917, the bridge was severely damaged by a tornado but was rebuilt. After it was closed to traffic in 2005 for being unsafe, the bridge was renovated and reopened in 2009. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

McMillans Bridge, is a riveted wrought iron open web truss bridge, located over the Woady Yaloak River on the Rokewood-Skipton Road between Rokewood and Werneth on a historical route between Geelong and the 1850s goldfields at Ararat and Streatham.

Foundry Bridge 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.

Crystal Springs Street–Dowagiac River Bridge United States historic place

The Crystal Springs Street–Dowagiac River Bridge is a road bridge that carries Crystal Springs Street over the Dowagiac River near Sumnerville, Michigan. It was installed in that location in 2017. Between 1938 and 2016, the bridge was located approximately 50 miles away, and carried M-86 over the Prairie River near Nottawa, Michigan, and was known then as the M-86–Prairie River Bridge. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000, and is the last remaining camelback pony truss bridge used on the state trunkline system in Michigan.

Murray River railway bridge, Albury–Wodonga

The Murray River railway bridge is a heritage-listed Australian railway bridge over the Murray River on the Main Southern line south of Albury in the City of Albury, New South Wales, and on the North Eastern line north of Wodonga in Victoria. The bridge was designed by John Whitton and built from 1883 to 1884 by J. S. Bennett, with iron work supplied by Westwood, Baillie, England. It is also known as the Rail Bridge over Murray River, Albury-Wodonga and the Albury Lattice Railway Bridge and Murray River Underbridge. The bridge is owned by RailCorp, and maintained by the Australian Rail Track Corporation as part of its lease of the line. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 and added to the Register of the National Estate on 18 April 1989.

Cooks River Sewage Aqueduct

The Cooks River Sewage Aqueduct is a heritage-listed sewage aqueduct located at Pine Street, Earlwood, New South Wales, Australia. It crosses the Cooks River to Thornley Street, Marrickville. It was designed by Sewerage Construction Branch and NSW Department of Public Works and built during 1895 by J. F. Carson, contractor. The property is owned by Sydney Water, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 18 November 1999.

Wolli Creek Aqueduct

The Wolli Creek Aqueduct is a heritage-listed sewage aqueduct located at Unwin Street, Earlwood, City of Canterbury-Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia.

Martin Road Bridge United States historic place

The Martin Road Bridge is a former road bridge which carried Martin Road across the Shiawassee River in Caledonia Township near Corunna. It was one of the oldest metal through truss highway bridges in Michigan, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. As of 2016, the bridge has been removed from its original site, and will be restored and reassembled at the Auburn Heights Preserve in Yorklyn, Delaware.

Morseville Bridge United States historic place

The Morseville Bridge is a bridge which formerly carried Burt Road over the Flint River in Taymouth Township, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. It is the oldest surviving highway bridge in Saginaw County.

State Street Bridge (Bridgeport, Michigan) United States historic place

The State Street Bridge, also known as the Fort Road Bridge or the Bridgeport Bridge, is a bridge carrying State Street over the Cass River in Bridgeport, Michigan, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

Gugel Bridge United States historic place

The Gugel Bridge, also known as the Beyer Road – Cass River Bridge, is a bridge carrying Beyer Road over the Cass River in Frankenmuth Township, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. It is the only remaining example in Michigan of a bridge with both a pony truss span and a main through truss span.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Christensen, Robert O. (May 1994), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Parshallburg Bridge
  3. 1 2 "Parshallburg Bridge/Ditch Road Bridge". HistoricBridges.org.