The Moseley Wrought Iron Arch Bridge, also known as the Upper Pacific Mills Bridge, is a historic, riveted,

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...

bowstring arch bridge A tied-arch bridge is an arch bridge in which the outward horizontal forces of the arch(es) caused by tension at the arch ends to a foundation are countered by equal tension of its own gravity plus any element of the total deck structure such grea ...

now located on the campus of

Merrimack College Merrimack College is a private Augustinian university in North Andover, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1947 by the Order of St. Augustine with an initial goal to educate World War II veterans. Its campus has grown to a campus with nearly 40 bu ...

North Andover, Massachusetts North Andover is an affluent town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 30,915. History Native Americans inhabited what is now northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European c ...

. It was added to the

National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark __NOTOC__ The following is a list of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks as designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers since it began the program in 1964. The designation is granted to projects, structures, and sites in the United State ...

list in 1998 and was originally part of the

North Canal Historic District The North Canal Historic District of Lawrence, Massachusetts, encompasses the historic industrial heart of the city. It is centered on the North Canal and the Great Stone Dam, which provided the waterpower for its many mill complexes. The ca ...

on the National Register of Historic Place. It is the oldest iron bridge in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, and one of the oldest iron bridges in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It was the first bridge in the United States to use riveted wrought iron plates for the triangular-shaped top chord. The bridge was completed in 1864 as Moseley Truss Bridge built by the Moseley Iron Building Works of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, to connect the Pacific Mills with Canal Street in

Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and Nort ...

, by spanning the

North Canal The North Canal Historic District of Lawrence, Massachusetts, encompasses the historic industrial heart of the city. It is centered on the North Canal and the Great Stone Dam, which provided the waterpower for its many mill complexes. The ca ...

. It partially collapsed in the late 1980s, but in 1989 it was removed to the

campus in North Andover and was rehabilitated under the direction of Francis E. Griggs, Jr., Professor of Civil Engineering. It was placed over a campus pond as a footbridge, and was rededicated in this new location on October 23, 1995.

References

External links

* {{coord, 42, 40, 8.6, N, 71, 7, 21.2, W, type:landmark, display=title Wrought iron bridges in the United States Bridges completed in 1864 Former road bridges in the United States Pedestrian bridges in Massachusetts Relocated buildings and structures in Massachusetts Rebuilt buildings and structures in the United States Tied arch bridges in the United States Historic American Engineering Record in Massachusetts Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks Buildings and structures in North Andover, Massachusetts Bridges in Essex County, Massachusetts Road bridges in Massachusetts Merrimack College

See also

References

External links