The Wrought Iron Bridge Company was a bridge fabrication and construction company based in
Canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ent ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
,
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 specialized in the fabrication of iron
truss bridge
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 (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...
s and was a prolific bridge builder in the late 19th century. It was one of the 28 firms consolidated by
J. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age. As the head of the banking firm that ultimately became known ...
into 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 ...
in 1900. Many of its bridges have 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 ...
.
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
New Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The county's largest city, New Philadelphia lies along the Tuscarawas River. The population was 17,677 at the 2020 census. It is a principal city in the ...
, 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.
Blue Earth County, Minnesota
Blue Earth County is a county in the State of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 69,112. Its county seat is Mankato. The county is named for the Blue Earth River and for the deposits of blue-green clay once evident along the ...
, 1873
*
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 Blackfria ...
, in
London, Ontario
London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...
Morrow County, Ohio
Morrow County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,950. Its county seat is Mount Gilead. The county was organized in 1848 from parts of four neighboring counties a ...
, 1876
*
County Line Bowstring
The County Line Bowstring is a bridge located near unincorporated Hollis, Kansas, United States, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It spans West Creek on the border between Cloud and Republic counties and has a wooden de ...
, near
Concordia, Kansas
Concordia is a city in and the county seat of Cloud County, Kansas, Cloud County, Kansas, United States. It is located along the Republican River in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains in North Central Kansas. As of the 2020 United State ...
, 1876
*Maple/Foster Bridge,
Barton Hills, Michigan
Barton Hills is a village in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 294 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Ann Arbor Charter Township just northwest of the city of Ann Arbor.
Originally established b ...
, circa 1876
*
Poffenberger Road Bridge
The Poffenberger Road Bridge, near Jefferson, Maryland, is a wrought iron bridge by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio. The bridge is similar to the Fourpoints Bridge elsewhere in Frederick County. The bridge is a single-span double ...
, near
Jefferson, Maryland
Jefferson is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census the town had a population of 2,235 (which includes the widespread area of the town's zip code, not Je ...
, 1878
*
Fourpoints Bridge
The Fourpoints Bridge, near Emmitsburg, Maryland is a wrought iron bridge by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio. The bridge crosses Toms Creek and is similar to the Poffenberger Road Bridge elsewhere in Frederick County. The 103-f ...
, near
Emmitsburg, Maryland
Emmitsburg is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States, south of the Mason-Dixon line separating Maryland from Pennsylvania. Founded in 1785, Emmitsburg is the home of Mount St. Mary's University. The town has two Catholic pilgrima ...
, 1878?
*
Laughery Creek Bridge
The Laughery Creek Bridge is a triple Whipple truss bridge on the border of Dearborn County, Indiana, and Ohio County, Indiana. It crosses Laughery Creek. This bridge was built in 1878. The Wrought Iron Bridge Company, a prolific late 19th-centur ...
, in
Dearborn County, Indiana
Dearborn County is one of 92 counties of the U.S. state of Indiana located on the Ohio border near the southeast corner of the state. It was formed in 1803 from a portion of Hamilton County, Ohio. In 2020, the population was 50,679. The county ...
, 1878
*Dickey Ford Bridge, in Orange County Indiana, Circa 1880
* Lawrence Bridge in
Jackson Junction, Iowa
Jackson Junction is a city in Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 37 at the time of the 2020 census.
Geography
Jackson Junction is located at (43.106913, -92.046724).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the ci ...
, 1880 Hotel Bridge Leeds, Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, 1880
*
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 wo ...
,
Scio Township, Michigan
Scio Township is a civil township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,081 at the 2010 census.
Communities
* Delhi Mills is an unincorporated community located within the township at . The community was first ...
, 1883
*
Wells Street Bridge Wells Street Bridge may refer to:
* Wells Street Bridge (Chicago), a bascule bridge over the Chicago River, in downtown Chicago, Illinois
*Wells Street Bridge (Fort Wayne, Indiana), listed on the National Register of Historic Places
{{disambig ...
,
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...
, 1884
*
Pott's Ford Bridge
Pott's Ford Bridge is a bridge 1/2 mile south of Glasco, Kansas, USAthat spans the Solomon River in Cloud County, Kansas. It has a wooden deck with three bowstring pony trusses and one Pratt pony truss. The lengths of the trusses are , , and ...
, in
Glasco, Kansas
Glasco is a city in Cloud County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 441.
History
Glasco was originally called Del Ray, and under the latter name was laid out and platted in 1870. The name Glasco was ...
Brunswick County, Virginia
Brunswick County is a United States county located on the southern border of the Commonwealth of Virginia. This rural county is known as one of the claimants to be the namesake of Brunswick stew. Brunswick County was created in 1720 from parts ...
Palo, Iowa
Palo is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,407 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Palo is located near Pleasant Creek State Recreation Park.
History
In 18 ...
, 1884
*Rome Westernville Road Bridge, Mohawk River, Rome, New York, 1884
* Van Buren Bridge, in
Freeport, Illinois
Freeport is the county seat and largest city of Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 23,973 at the 2020 census, and the mayor of Freeport is Jodi Miller, elected in 2017. Freeport is known for hosting the second Linc ...
Hillsborough, New Jersey
Hillsborough Township is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The township is centrally located in the Raritan Valley region within the much larger New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the tow ...
, 1886
*Lattice Road Bridge, Hume, New York, 1887 East Mineral Road Bridge Erving/Montague, Franklin County, Massachusetts, 1888
*
Aetnaville Bridge
The Aetnaville Bridge is a through truss bridge spanning the back channel of the Ohio River between Bridgeport, Ohio and Wheeling, West Virginia. The bridge was built in December 1891 and used for vehicular traffic until December 1988, when it w ...
, in Wheeling, West Virginia, 1891
*Rough Holler Bridge, near
Hermitage, Missouri
Hermitage is a city in Hickory County, Missouri, United States, on the Pomme de Terre River. The population was 621 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Hickory County. The John Siddles Williams House on Museum Street in Hermitage, on t ...
, 1891
*Masemore Road Bridge, near
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, Maryland, 1898
* Linville Creek Bridge, in Broadway, Rockingham County, Virginia, 1898
*
Gilbert Bridge
The Gilbert Bridge, also known as the Hall Estate Bridge, is an historic, American Pratt truss bridge that is located in Monaghan Township, York County, Pennsylvania and Upper Allen Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.
It was added to the ...
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, 1899
*Walnut River Bridge, near
Douglass, Kansas
Douglass is a city in Butler County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,555.
History
19th century
The first settlement was made at Douglass in 1869. Douglass is named for its founder, Joseph W. Do ...
in
Butler County, Kansas
Butler County (county code BU) is a county in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Kansas and is the largest county in the state by total area. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 67,380. Its county seat is El Dorado and its m ...
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
Howell, New Jersey
Howell Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The township is the largest municipality in the county by total area, comprised of about . It is located in the New York metropolitan area and has been a steadily gro ...
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
Douglass is a city in Butler County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,555.
History
19th century
The first settlement was made at Douglass in 1869. Douglass is named for its founder, Joseph W. Do ...
File:Scio Township Delhi Bridge.JPG,
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 wo ...
,
Scio Township, Michigan
Scio Township is a civil township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,081 at the 2010 census.
Communities
* Delhi Mills is an unincorporated community located within the township at . The community was first ...
Barton Hills, Michigan
Barton Hills is a village in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 294 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Ann Arbor Charter Township just northwest of the city of Ann Arbor.
Originally established b ...
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
Raritan is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 6,881,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
Bradley County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 108,620, making it the thirteenth most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Cleveland. It is na ...
File:Linville Creek Bridge, Spanning Linville Creek at State Route 1421, Broadway vicinity (Rockingham County, Virginia).jpg, Linville Creek Bridge,
Broadway, Virginia
Broadway is a town in Rockingham County, Virginia, United States. The population was 3,691 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Harrisonburg Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Bethlehem Church, Lincoln Homestead and Cemetery, Linvill ...
