The Berlin Iron Bridge Company was a
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
company that built
iron bridges and buildings that were supported by
iron
Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...
. It is credited as the architect of numerous bridges and buildings now listed on the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. It eventually became part of the
American Bridge Company
The American Bridge Company is a heavy/civil construction firm that specializes in building and renovating bridges and other large, complex structures. Founded in 1900, the company is headquartered in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pitts ...
.
History
![East Berlin Iron Works Co](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/East_Berlin_Iron_Works_Co.jpg)
The Berlin Iron Bridge Company began in 1868 as the Corrugated Metal Company, a branch of
tinware
Tinware is any item made of prefabricated tinplate. Usually tinware refers to kitchenware made of tinplate, often crafted by tinsmiths. Many cans used for canned food are tinware as well. Something that is tinned after being shaped and fabricated i ...
firm Roys and Wilcox, which is now part of
Roper Whitney. Originally producing roofing and shutters, the company became involved in
roof truss
A timber roof truss is a structural framework of timbers designed to bridge the space above a room and to provide support for a roof. Trusses usually occur at regular intervals, linked by longitudinal timbers such as purlins. The space between each ...
es. In 1878, under Samuel C. Wilcox, the company purchased the rights to the "parabolic" (
lenticular truss
A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure.
In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembla ...
) bridge patent from William Douglas. Douglas became treasurer and executive manager of the company. In 1885 he received another patent, and the company name was changed to Berlin Iron Bridge Company.
The Berlin Iron Bridge Company constructed hundreds of bridges across the eastern United States, until 1900, when the company was acquired by the American Bridge Company.
Berlin Steel
Almost immediately after its acquisition by the American Bridge Company, three executives from the Berlin Iron Bridge Company split from American Bridge and formed their own company, the Berlin Construction Company. The new company continued in the path of the Berlin Iron Bridge Company and continued building bridges until the 1930s. In 1962 it was renamed to the
Berlin Steel Construction Company, and still exists today.
Several of their bridges have also been listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.
Bridges
![Lenticular Truss Bridge, Neshanic Station , NJ - area view](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Lenticular_Truss_Bridge%2C_Neshanic_Station_%2C_NJ_-_area_view.jpg)
* Mattabesset River Bridge (c.1880s or 1890s), abandoned lenticular pony-truss in Connecticut spanning the
Mattabesset River
The Mattabesset River as delineated on present-day maps flows out of Harts Ponds in the town of Berlin and travels east to the Connecticut River, passing Kensington and later forming the boundary between Middletown and Cromwell.U.S. Geological Sur ...
between
Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...
and
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
*
Berlin Bridge (1880) over Webutuck Creek, a lenticular truss bridge manufactured in 1880 and shipped to the area for installation by local residents, NRHP-listed
*
Bardwell's Ferry Bridge
The Bardwell's Ferry Bridge, built in 1882, is a historic lenticular truss bridge spanning the Deerfield River between the towns of Shelburne, Massachusetts, Shelburne and Conway, Massachusetts, Conway in Franklin County, Massachusetts. The bridg ...
(1882), a
lenticular truss bridge over the
Deerfield River
Deerfield River is a river that runs for from southern Vermont through northwestern Massachusetts to the Connecticut River. The Deerfield River was historically influential in the settlement of western Franklin County, Massachusetts, and its n ...
,
Conway, Massachusetts
Conway is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,761 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Conway was first settled by English colonists ...
, NRHP-listed
*
Sheffield Street Bridge
The Sheffield Street Bridge is a historic lenticular truss bridge spanning Hancock Brook in Waterbury, Connecticut. Built in 1884, it is a rare example of a wrought iron bridge built by the Berlin Iron Bridge Co., and one of the few surviving le ...
(1884), carries Sheffield Street over Hancock Brook in
Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 20 ...
, NRHP-listed
*
Interlaken Mill Bridge
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 Corpora ...
(1885), Rhode Island, built 1885 spanning the
Pawtuxet River
The Pawtuxet River, also known as the Pawtuxet River Main Stem and the Lower Pawtuxet, is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ac ...
, NRHP-listed
*
Hadley Parabolic Bridge
The Hadley Parabolic Bridge, often referred to locally as the Hadley Bow Bridge, carries Corinth Road ( Saratoga County Route 1) across the Sacandaga River in Hadley, New York, United States. It is an iron bridge dating from the late 19th ce ...
(1885), only survivor of only three iron semi-deck lenticular truss bridges to have been built (in New York State or in the world?), CR 1,
Hadley, NY
Hadley (, ) is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,971 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Hadley, Massachusetts.
The Town of Hadley is in the northern part of the county and is west of Glens Fall ...
, NRHP-listed
*
Interlaken Mill Bridge
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 Corpora ...
(1885), spanning the
Pawtuxet River
The Pawtuxet River, also known as the Pawtuxet River Main Stem and the Lower Pawtuxet, is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ac ...
at Arkwright,
Coventry, RI
Coventry is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 35,688 at the 2020 census and is part of the .
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of . of it is land and of it ...
, NRHP-listed
*
Golden Hill Bridge
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 t ...
(c.1885), only known surviving bridge to implement modifications to the pony truss design patented by William O. Douglas in 1885, Golden Hill Rd. over the
Housatonic River
The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United S ...
,
Lee, MA, NRHP-listed
*
Glen Falls Bridge (1886), Brunswick Ave. over the
Moosup River
The Moosup River is a river in the U.S. states of Rhode Island and Connecticut. It flows approximately .U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 The river is named af ...
,
Plainfield, CT, NRHP-listed
*
Raymondville Parabolic Bridge (1886), a lenticular truss bridge spanning the
Raquette River
The Raquette River ( moh, Ahná:wate), sometimes spelled Racquette, originates at Raquette Lake in the Adirondack Mountains in New York. long, it is the third longest river entirely in the state of New York.
The river is a popular destination ...
,
Raymondville, NY, NRHP-listed
*
South Washington Street Parabolic Bridge
South Washington Street Parabolic Bridge is a historic Lenticular truss bridge located at Binghamton in Broome County, New York. It was constructed in 1886 and spans the Susquehanna River. It is composed of three identical through trusses with an ...
(1886), a lenticular truss bridge, S. Washington St.,
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...
, NRHP-listed
*
Ashland Mill Bridge
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 ...
(1886), over the
Pachaug River
The Pachaug River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 river arising from the Pachaug State Forest at the Connecticut - Rhode Island border and draining in ...
, near Ashland St.,
Griswold, CT, formerly NRHP-listed
*
Douglas & Jarvis Patent Parabolic Truss Iron Bridge (1887), Rte. 2 over the
Missisquoi River
The Missisquoi River is a transboundary river of the east shore of Lake Champlain (via Missisquoi Bay), approximately long, in northern Vermont in the United States and southern Quebec in Canada.
It drains a rural area of the northern Green Mount ...
,
Highgate Falls, VT, NRHP-listed
*
Pineground Bridge (1887), 0.15 mi. E of NH 28 on Depot Rd.,
Chichester, NH, NRHP-listed
*
Boardman's Bridge (1888), Boardman Rd. over the
Housatonic River
The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United S ...
, NW of
New Milford, CT
New Milford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is in western Connecticut, north of Danbury, on the banks of the Housatonic River, and it shares its border with the northeastern shore of Candlewood Lake. It is ...
, NRHP-listed
*
Main Street Bridge (1888), now a footbridge only, carried Main St. over the
Rippowam River
The Rippowam River is a river in Fairfield County, Connecticut and Westchester County, New York (United States). It drains a watershed area of and flows for from Ridgefield to Long Island Sound, which it enters in Stamford's harbor.
Stream ...
,
Stamford, CT
Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...
, NRHP-listed
*
Melrose Road Bridge (1888), Melrose Rd. over the
Scantic River
The Scantic River (pronounced SKAN-tik) is a river that flows through the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut and is tributary to the Connecticut River.
The Scantic River's tributaries rise in the towns of Hampden, Wilbraham, East Longm ...
,
East Windsor, CT, NRHP-listed
*
Ouaquaga Lenticular Truss Bridge
Ouaquaga Lenticular Truss Bridge is a historic lenticular truss bridge located at Ouaquaga in the towns of Windsor and Colesville in Broome County, New York. It was constructed in 1888 and spans the Susquehanna River. It is composed of two ide ...
(1888), a lenticular truss bridge over the
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...
,
Ouaquaga, NY, NRHP-listed
*
Swing Bridge
A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...
(1888), over the
Ausable River Au Sable or Ausable may refer to various places:
Michigan
*Au Sable Township, Iosco County, Michigan
**Au Sable, Michigan, an unincorporated community in the above township
*Au Sable Township, Roscommon County, Michigan New York
*Au Sable, New Y ...
, between Clinton and S. Ausable Sts.,
Keeseville, NY, NRHP-listed
*
Town Line Bridge (1888), located in the town of
Taylor
Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to:
People
* Taylor (surname)
**List of people with surname Taylor
* Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah
* Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron
* Justice Taylor (disambiguation)
Plac ...
in
Cortland County, New York
Cortland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population of Cortland County was 46,809. The county seat is Cortland. The county is named after Pierre Van Cortlandt, president of the convention a ...
, NRHP-listed
*
Minortown Road Bridge (1890), Minortown Rd. over the
Nonewaug River,
Woodbury, CT, NRHP-listed
*
Walton Bridge
Walton Bridge is a road bridge across the River Thames in England, carrying the A244 between Walton-on-Thames and Shepperton, crossing the Thames on the reach between Sunbury Lock and Shepperton Lock.
The bridge is the first Thames road bri ...
(c. 1890), Dr. Ray Rd. access over the
Ausable River Au Sable or Ausable may refer to various places:
Michigan
*Au Sable Township, Iosco County, Michigan
**Au Sable, Michigan, an unincorporated community in the above township
*Au Sable Township, Roscommon County, Michigan New York
*Au Sable, New Y ...
,
Keene, NY, NRHP-listed
*
Waterville Bridge
The Waterville Bridge is a lenticular truss bridge designed and manufactured by the Berlin Iron Bridge Co. It was built in 1890.
It was relocated from Waterville, Pennsylvania, Waterville, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, to Swatara State Park in ...
(1890), moved in 1985, now brings the
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...
over
Swatara Creek
Swatara Creek (nicknamed the Swatty) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in east-central Pennsylvania in the United Sta ...
,
Swatara Gap, PA, NRHP-listed
*
Red Bridge Red Bridge may refer to:
Structures
*Red Bridge (border), on the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan
*Red Bridge, Yerevan, Armenia
*Red Bridge (Tasmania), Australia
*Félix-Gabriel-Marchand Bridge (known locally as the Red Bridge), Mansfield-et-P ...
(1891), near Oregon Rd. over the
Quinnipiac River
The Quinnipiac River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 long river in the New England region of the United States, located entirely in the state of Conne ...
,
Meriden, CT
Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven and Hartford. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850. , NRHP-listed
*Main Street Bridge (1891), spanning the Tankerhoosen River in Talcottville (Vernon), CT
*
Rice Farm Road Bridge (1892), Town Hwy. 62, off VT 30,
Dummerston, VT, NRHP-listed
*
Turn-of-River Bridge (1892), Old N. Stamford Rd. at the
Rippowam River
The Rippowam River is a river in Fairfield County, Connecticut and Westchester County, New York (United States). It drains a watershed area of and flows for from Ridgefield to Long Island Sound, which it enters in Stamford's harbor.
Stream ...
,
Stamford, CT
Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...
. A small
lenticular pony truss
A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure.
In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...
bridge, NRHP-listed
*
Lover's Leap Bridge
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 ...
(1895), a wrought-iron lenticular truss bridge over the
Housatonic River
The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United S ...
, S of New Milford on Pumpkin Hill Rd.,
New Milford, CT
New Milford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is in western Connecticut, north of Danbury, on the banks of the Housatonic River, and it shares its border with the northeastern shore of Candlewood Lake. It is ...
, NRHP-listed
*
Town Bridge (1895), over the
Farmington River
The Farmington River is a river, U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 in length along its main stem, located in northwest Connecticut with major tributaries ex ...
,
Canton, CT, NRHP-listed
*
Neshanic Station Lenticular Truss Bridge
The Neshanic Station Lenticular Truss Bridge is a road bridge built over the South Branch Raritan River at Neshanic Station, New Jersey. It was constructed by the Berlin Iron Bridge Co. in 1896. and listed on the National Register of Historic Pl ...
(1896), over the
South Branch Raritan River
The South Branch Raritan River is a tributary of the Raritan River in New Jersey.Gertler, Edward. ''Garden State Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2002.
Description
The source of the South Branch is the outflow from Budd Lake, a glacial remnant locate ...
,
Neshanic Station, New Jersey
Neshanic Station is an unincorporated community located within Branchburg and extending into Hillsborough Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. In 2016 most of the village was listed on the National Register of Historic Place ...
, NRHP-listed
*Several bridges in
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
, TX, including the
Brackenridge Park Bridge
The Brackenridge Park Bridge is a historic iron Lenticular truss bridge located in San Antonio, Texas. The bridge was built in 1890 and remains open for vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Composed of a single truss of just over , it is one of the ...
(1890), the Augusta Street Bridge (1890), and the Crockett Street Bridge (1891).
Buildings
![Dry Dock machine shop 1912](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Dry_Dock_machine_shop_1912.jpg)
*
Dry Dock Engine Works Machine Shop (1892), novel early example of building with load-bearing steel frame with non-load-bearing brick curtain walls, Detroit, Michigan
*
Providence Gas Company Purifier House (1900), 200 Allens Ave.,
Providence, RI
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
, NRHP-listed
*
Beaman and Smith Company Mill (1898), steel-framed brick building at 20 Gordon Ave.,
Providence, RI
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
, NRHP-listed
*
Capewell Horse Nail Company
The Capewell Horse Nail Company is a historic brick industrial complex located in the Hartford, Connecticut neighborhood of Neighborhoods of Hartford, Connecticut#Sheldon/Charter Oak, Sheldon/Charter Oak. It was built in 1903 by industrialist Geor ...
(1903), 60-70 Popieluszko St.,
Hartford, CT
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded County (United States), county government in 19 ...
, NRHP-listed (Berlin Iron Works)
References
External links
Berlin Iron Bridge Company web presentation
The Berlin Iron Bridge Co. Catalogue 1889Kenneth Franzheim II Rare Books Room ,William R. Jenkins Architecture and Art Library, University of Houston Digital Library.
{{Authority control
Companies based in Hartford County, Connecticut