Wrought Iron Bridge Co.

The Wrought Iron Bridge Company was a bridge fabrication and construction company based in Canton, Ohio, United States. It specialized in the fabrication of iron truss bridges and was a prolific bridge builder in the late 19th century. It was one of the 28 firms consolidated by J. P. Morgan into the American Bridge Company in 1900. Many of its bridges have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Products

The Wrought Iron Bridge Company specialized in relatively short-span iron truss bridges. Most were built for highway use, as the railroads were all privately owned at the time and employed their own engineers. The company supplied a catalog of bridge designs and mass-produced the parts to build these designs. Once a bridge was ordered, the pieces were shipped by train to the nearest station. Thus, local contractors were able to assemble a bridge very quickly, much like a model.

1882 pamphlet

An illustrated pamphlet, dated 1882, is availabl
online
In this pamphlet, Wrought Iron Bridge claims that "during the past 18 years this firm have erected nearly 4,300 spans, varying in length from 20 to 300 feet." At the time of publication, the company had worked in 26 US States, Canada and Mexico.

Wrought Iron Bridge were able to assemble their bridges very quickly and the pamphlet claims that they "have completed 100 to 140 foot spans at points from 100 to 300 miles distant from our works in 8 to 15 days." They were not quite as fast on larger bridges, but the "350 foot bridge, 38 foot wide, built at New Philadelphia, Ohio, was completed for travel in 40 days from the receipt of the contract," a speed unheard of for modern construction, often because of legal red tape.

Surviving bridges

*Kern Bridge, in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, 1873
*Blackfriars Street Bridge, in London, Ontario, 1875
*West Liberty Bridge CR-225, in Morrow County, Ohio, 1876
*County Line Bowstring, near Concordia, Kansas, 1876
*Maple/Foster Bridge, Barton Hills, Michigan, circa 1876
*Poffenberger Road Bridge, near Jefferson, Maryland, 1878
*Fourpoints Bridge, near Emmitsburg, Maryland, 1878?
*Laughery Creek Bridge, in Dearborn County, Indiana, 1878
*Dickey Ford Bridge, in Orange County Indiana, Circa 1880
* Lawrence Bridge in Jackson Junction, Iowa, 1880
Hotel Bridge
Leeds, Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, 1880
* Delhi Bridge, Scio Township, Michigan, 1883
* Wells Street Bridge, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1884
*Pott's Ford Bridge, in Glasco, Kansas, 1884
*Gholson Bridge, in Brunswick County, Virginia, 1884
*Chain Lakes Bridge, near Palo, Iowa, 1884
*Rome Westernville Road Bridge, Mohawk River, Rome, New York, 1884
*Van Buren Bridge, in Freeport, Illinois, 1885
*Nevius Street Bridge, in Raritan/ Hillsborough, New Jersey, 1886
*Lattice Road Bridge, Hume, New York, 1887
East Mineral Road Bridge
Erving/Montague, Franklin County, Massachusetts, 1888
* Aetnaville Bridge, in Wheeling, West Virginia, 1891
*Rough Holler Bridge, near Hermitage, Missouri, 1891
*Masemore Road Bridge, near Baltimore, Maryland, 1898
*Linville Creek Bridge, in Broadway, Rockingham County, Virginia, 1898
*Gilbert Bridge, near Bowmansdale, Pennsylvania, 1899
*Walnut River Bridge, near Douglass, Kansas in Butler County, Kansas, built before 1900
* Rockafellows Mill Bridge, Rockefellows Mills, New Jersey, 1900
*Springbanks
Renwick Road) Bridge
Plainfield, Illinois, built before 1901
*Howell Park Golf Course Bridge in Howell, New Jersey 1899

Gallery

File:Wrought Iron Bridge Company.JPG, Sign, Wrought Iron Bridge Company
File:Wrought Iron Bridge Company, Walnut River, near Douglass, Kansas.JPG, Walnut River bridge, near Douglass, Kansas
File:Scio Township Delhi Bridge.JPG, Delhi Bridge, Scio Township, Michigan
File:Maple-Foster Bridge Barton Hills Michigan.JPG, Maple/Foster Bridge, Barton Hills, Michigan
File:Wells St Bridge 1.JPG, Wells Street Bridge, Fort Wayne, Indiana
File:Walnutriverbridge.jpg, Walnut River Bridge, near Douglass Kansas
File:Nevius Bridge Raritan NJ.jpg, Nevius Street Bridge, Raritan, New Jersey
File:Rockafellows Mill Bridge, NJ - looking south.jpg, Rockafellows Mill Bridge, Rockefellows Mills, New Jersey
File:THROUGH VIEW, LOOKING EAST. - Lea Bridge, Spanning Candies Creek at Old Georgetown Road, Hopewell, Bradley County, TN HAER TENN,6-HOPE.V,1-9.tif, Lea Bridge, Candies Creek at Old Georgetown Road, Hopewell, Bradley County, Tennessee
File:Linville Creek Bridge, Spanning Linville Creek at State Route 1421, Broadway vicinity (Rockingham County, Virginia).jpg, Linville Creek Bridge, Broadway, Virginia

References

{{reflist
Wrought Iron Bridge Co. (1882). ''Illustrated Pamphlet of Wrought Iron Bridges'' lectronic version Canton, Ohio. Retrieved July 7, 2009, fro
Illustrated pamphlet of wrought iron bridges built by Wrought Iron Bridge Company, Canton, Ohio.
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''Structurae'' online article: http://en.structurae.de/firms/data/index.cfm?ID=f000652

Construction and civil engineering companies of the United States
Bridge companies
1864 establishments in Ohio
Construction and civil engineering companies established in 1864
American companies established in 1864