KB UPDATE 2009
Over the past year, there have been a number of events we hope will spark continuing interest in tracking and preserving old King (and other) bridges. These include some successful preservation efforts, some new finds, some pending disappearances and some new photographs, all from people who help in trying to keep what we can of these symbols of past engineering technology and our nation’s industrial history. We hope that the delay in posting these updates on our website will not discourage both dedicated and new “pontists” from continuing to furnish the information on King bridges, as it is you that are the source of the latest news.
PRESERVATION NEWS
Piermont, Rockland County, New York – The restoration of the unique Bridge Street Draw Bridge built by the King Bridge Company in 1880 is now complete. This hand-operated draw span was completely dismantled and reconstructed with all its mechanical parts kept in tact. While its towers now serve as an important piece civic sculpture and its deck as a pleasant sitting area and walkway across Sparkill Creek, it also functions as an entrance to the charming village center and to Tallman Mountain State Park and the Piermont Marshes.. The bridge was dedicated on August 7 at a ribbon-cutting attended 40+ local citizens including yours truly. Thanks to the historic preservation oriented Rockland County officials for providing the $900,000 + in funds required to complete the job with the cooperation of the Village of Piermont. The project included in addition to refurbishing the metal structures and lifting mechanisms, supervised by Bergman Associates and McNamee Construction Corporation, the raising of the structure by 3 feet over the Creek to allow better use of the waterway.
There is another King bridge over Sparkill Creek, this one in Orangeburg Township on Oak Tree Road, a pony truss, now encased in concrete which has a builders plate dated 1887 and is being restored to its original condition by the Rockland County Highway Department. Glen Jarvis of TECTONIC engineers of Rocky Hill, CT. furnished this alert.
North York, York County, Pennsylvania – Good news from Ken Hess of the Department of General Services of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania reported that the North York Borough has purchased the Crooked Creek Bridge built by the King Bridge Company in1889 in Franklin Township in Adams County (noted in PENNSYLVANIA KING BRIDGES–A SPECIAL REPORT on our web site as on the endangered list ) and will use it on the York Heritage Rail Trail at the southern terminus of a local park. This is a success story in the program of Pennsylvania DOT to find new homes for old bridges.
Also:
Northport, Alabama – The Black Warrior (Espy) Bridge – We understand from Ken Willis that after the successful move of the bridge from its site in the back woods last summer, the bridge is awaiting a new home on a park site in Northport, yet to be determined. We received some information that should be of interest to those doing old bridge restoration – a product called PB B’laster which when sprayed on old rusted nuts and bolts will loosen them enough to make their removal easy. It was used successfully on the Black Warrior bridge and led to savings of over $30,000 in restoration costs.
Pictures of the Black Warrior Bridge restoration
Also from Alabama, we are awaiting new information on the Half Chance Bridge in Marengo County, which we reported on in the 2008 update. Does anyone have any more news or know if the bridge is still standing??
Frankfort, Kentucky – The Singing Bridge – We have learned from Jayne Fiegel, Historic Preservation Specialist with Palmer Engineering Inc. of Winchester, Kentucky that the Kentucky DOT is doing extensive maintenance work on the bridge over the next two years to keep it in good operating condition. This is one of the most important King bridges still in operation. It is pictured in the King Bridge Company catalogues of the 1890s and is listed in the National Register as part of the historic district incorporating the State Capitol. On the right is a picture of the bridge during construction.
NEW FINDS
We continue to get emails and pictures from people who have found old King bridges that we have not recorded previously. Here are the latest.
Horton, Delaware County, New York – Thanks to Kent Findley, we received pictures of a King built Pratt truss crossing the Delaware River in Horton. It once carried Chilloway Road to connect to old N.Y.Route 17. It was replaced by a new Chiloway Road bridge, but it was not torn down when the new bridge was built. The King Bridge Company plate is apparently dated 1887. (Anyone having more info on this bridge, please be in touch.)
Falls of Rough, Grayson County, Kentucky – We received an email from James McCray noting that there is a well preserved 1877 King bowstring with a fancy builder’s plate on former State Route 110 crossing the Rough River in Falls of Rough. It is called the Greens Farm Mill Bridge and pictures taken by Jim McCray appear on James Baughn’s Historic Bridge website. It is located north of Bowling Green in Grayson County.
Neosho River Railroad Bridge, Labette County, Kansas – An interesting email from Kristi Brown of Neosho County tells us of this abandoned railroad bridge that is still standing. She acquired the 1905 King Bridge Company plate from the bridge which abuts property her family once owned. This area of Kansas was an important market for King bridges.
King Railroad Bridges in the Doe River Gorge – East Tennessee- We received an email from Lawsx7@comcast.net last January saying that he knows of two abandoned 1902 King bridges on the old ET&WNC line above Hampton, Tennessee. One is pictured below and this is all the information we have..
The Two Lick Bridge, Harrison County, West Virginia – From Gary Lawrence of West Milford, WVA, we learned that there a King Bridge Company plaque on a bridge spanning the West Fork River near Good Hope. We do not have any more information on this bridge, which may have been left in place when a new bridge was constructed. Does any have any more information and pictures?
NEW PHOTOS OF OLD BRIDGES
We continue to receive photos of King bridges from “pontists” that we have already documented in various sections of the website. Here is the latest batch:
Kent Findley also sent us some fine new photographs of three other King bridges described elsewhere.
- The Long Island Railroad viaduct still in operation in Manhasset, Nassau County, New York. (See NYC & Long Island section under REGIONS and the Addendum to the Railroad Special section under HISTORY)
- The Rosendale Railroad viaduct in Ulster County, NY, now a part of a rail-trail. (See Railroad Special Section under HISTORYand the 2008 Historic Bridge Conference section under PRESERVATION)
3.The Merriam Street bridge in Minneapolis,MN. (See the Upper Midwest section under REGIONS)
Ironto King Bowstring, Virginia —Scott Wilson of Thompson and Litton, Engineers of Bristol, Tennessee (the team that rehabilitated the King Pratt Truss in Marion, Virginia in 2003) sent us the following pictures of the King Bowstring at the Ironto rest stop on I- 81 North in Virginia.
The Belmar Railroad Bridge – Enthusiastic bikers of the Sandy Creek Rail Trail posted these fine pictures of the Belmar Railroad Bridge near Franklin, PA. on their web site. Apparently this King bridge is one of the highlights of a bike ride on this converted rail line.
ON THE DANGER LIST !!
Horton Road Bridge, Ashtabula County, Ohio –We have had word that the County plans to replace this King Pratt Truss in the near future. It is one of at least four King bridges still standing in the County. A local “champion” will have to come to the fore in order to save the structure. Any candidates?
Main Street Bridge, Greenup, Kentucky —From Joseph Pyles, an engineer in Frankfort, we have learned that an 1884 King Pratt truss bridgeacross the Little Sandy River in Greenup, Greenup County is to be replaced in 2010 and KYDOT is looking for a taker. The bridge was placed on the National Register in 1987, but closed in 2003.
THIS AND THAT
The Veteran’s Memorial (Detroit-Superior) Bridge in Cleveland –After many years of hard work, the extensive history of this major remaining King bridge by Bill Beyer is in publication under the auspices of Cleveland State University. A limited edition of 250 is due out in the fall. Bill Beyer was a member of the engineering team that undertook the extensive refurbishing of the bridge some years ago. This book should be a must for enthusiastic pontists.
The SIA Fall Tour in Rosendale, New York – Those participating in the fall tour might be interested to know that Rosendale is the site of one of the largest remaining King Bridges, the railroad viaduct crossing Rondout Creek which is now part of a rail trail and is privately owned. (See the photo above and the RAILROADS section for more details and also note that our previous entries may refer to the viaduct as crossing the Esopus Creek, which is not accurate).
Also in nearby Woodstock, there are two pony trusses built by the King Bridge Company that mark the entrance to picturesque Sloan Gorge, a geological and nature trail on the side of Overlook Mountain on land donated by the Sloan family (Charlotte King Sloan was the great grand daughter of Zenas King) to the Woodstock Land Conservancy.
