Suspension Bridges of USA (1-100 of 1,436)


This is a list of bridges 1 through 100 (of 1,436 total) from the suspension bridge inventory for the country USA. Wherever you see a Bridgemeister ID number click it to isolate the bridge on its own page.

Related Lists:

1801: Jacob's Creek

Iron Bridge, Mount Pleasant vicinity, Pennsylvania, USA - Jacob's Creek
Bridgemeister ID:3 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1801
Name:Jacob's Creek
Also Known As:Iron Bridge, Chain Bridge
Location:Iron Bridge, Mount Pleasant vicinity, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Jacob's Creek
Coordinates:N 40.112598 W 79.553186
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Judge James Finley
References:AAJ, ASB, BBR, BOB, BPL, CAB, DSE20000116, HBE, LAB, PTS2
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed, 1833
Main Cables:Chain (iron)
Suspended Spans:3
Main Span:1 x 21.3 meters (70 feet)
Deck width:12.5 feet

Notes:

  • In an email dated January 16, 2000, Don Sayenga provided information about the location of this bridge. Generally attributed to Uniontown (the seat of Fayette County, PA), Mr. Sayenga offers some clues about the bridge's true location. "[James Finley] stated that he built it near the home of his friend Meason which implies a connection for the iron as Meason was making iron. Meason's home has survived by the way, a beautiful place. Finley stated it was a combination contract with the cost split between two counties, and he stated it was built over Jacob's Creek which is the county boundary. He also makes it clear it was on the road to Greensburg. The only place the old road crossed Jacob's Creek is just south of Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. On the geodetic survey maps this spot is marked "Iron Bridge" but there is no town there. The last time I was there I saw a sign that said 'Iron Bridge' on an automobile scrap yard. I found absolutely no trace of the bridge, but it was not very big, so there was no need for a huge abutment."
  • First suspension bridge with a rigid level deck, often considered the world's first modern suspension bridge.
  • Coordinates are for the likely location of the bridge, where present-day (2020) Pennsylvania route 3105 crosses Jacob's Creek.

External Links:


1807: Chain

Georgetown, District of Columbia and Virginia, USA - Potomac River
Bridgemeister ID:4 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1807
Name:Chain
Location:Georgetown, District of Columbia and Virginia, USA
Crossing:Potomac River
Coordinates:N 38.92959 W 77.11627
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:John Templeman
References:AAJ, BBR, BCW, CAB, DSE20000118, HBE, PTS2
Use:Vehicular
Status:Destroyed, 1812
Main Cables:Chain (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 39.2 meters (128.5 feet)

Notes:

  • BCW gives completion date of 1810 and says bridge was destroyed by flood two years later.
  • Coordinates given are for the current crossing (VA SR123, still known locally as "Chain Bridge Road") which is on (or very close) to the alignment of Chain Bridge. Chain Bridge was the third bridge at this site. The current structure is the eighth and was completed in 1940.

External Links:


1807: Wills Creek

Cumberland, Maryland, USA - Wills Creek
Bridgemeister ID:5 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1807
Name:Wills Creek
Location:Cumberland, Maryland, USA
Crossing:Wills Creek
Principals:John Templeman
References:AAJ, BCW, CAB, DSE20000203, HBE
Status:Destroyed, 1810
Main Cables:Chain (iron)
Main Span:1 x 42.4 meters (139 feet)

Notes:


1809: (suspension bridge)

Brownsville vicinity, Pennsylvania, USA
Bridgemeister ID:8 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1809
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Brownsville vicinity, Pennsylvania, USA
References:AAJ, CAB, DSE20000203, HBE
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Chain (iron)

1809: (suspension bridge)

Brownsville, Pennsylvania, USA - Dunlap's Creek
Bridgemeister ID:7 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1809
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Brownsville, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Dunlap's Creek
Principals:John Templeman
References:AAJ, BCW, CAB, DSE20000118, DSE20000203, HBE
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Chain (iron)

External Links:

  • Dunlap's Creek Bridge (link reported not working). "The first recorded bridge across Dunlap's Creek was a wooden structure constructed prior to 1774. It was repaired in 1801, but was destroyed during a spring storm in 1808. A chain-link suspension bridge was built on the site in 1809; it collapsed under the weight of snow and a heavily laden wagon in 1820. A third bridge, another wooden structure, built in 1821 also failed. The present bridge is thus the fourth bridge at the site."
  • Structurae - Structure ID 20008055

1809: Schuylkill Falls

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA - Schuylkill River
Bridgemeister ID:9 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1809
Name:Schuylkill Falls
Location:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Schuylkill River
Principals:John Templeman
References:AAJ, BBR, BPL, CAB, DSE20000118, HBE, PTS2
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Chain (iron)
Suspended Spans:2
Main Spans:2 x 46.6 meters (153 feet)
Deck width:18 feet

Notes:

  • Failed 1811, 1816. HBE notes the 1811 was due to weight of cattle. The 1816 failure was due to weight of ice and snow.

External Links:


1810: (suspension bridge)

Frankfort, Kentucky, USA - Kentucky River
Bridgemeister ID:10 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1810
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Frankfort, Kentucky, USA
Crossing:Kentucky River
References:AAJ, CAB
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Chain (iron)
Suspended Spans:2
Main Spans:2 x 50.9 meters (167 feet)

External Links:


1810: (suspension bridge)

Paulings Ford, Pennsylvania, USA - Schuylkill River
Bridgemeister ID:11 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1810
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Paulings Ford, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Schuylkill River
References:CAB
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Chain (iron)

External Links:


1810: (suspension bridge)

Reading, Pennsylvania, USA - Schuykill River
Bridgemeister ID:12 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1810
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Reading, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Schuykill River
Principals:Ulrich Kissinger
References:CAB
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Chain (iron)

External Links:


1810: (suspension bridge)

Wilmington, Delaware, USA - Brandywine Creek
Bridgemeister ID:6 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1810
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Wilmington, Delaware, USA
Crossing:Brandywine Creek
References:AAJ, BCW, CAB, DSE20000203, HBE
Status:Destroyed, 1822
Main Cables:Chain (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 44.2 meters (145 feet)
Deck width:30 feet

Notes:

  • Destroyed by flood, 1822.

External Links:


1810: (suspension bridge)

Wrightstown, Pennsylvania, USA - Neshaminy River
Bridgemeister ID:13 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1810
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Wrightstown, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Neshaminy River
Principals:John Parker
References:AAJ, CAB, DSE20000403
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Chain (iron)
Main Spans:2 x 30.5 meters (100 feet)

External Links:


1810: Chain

Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA - Merrimack River
Bridgemeister ID:14 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1810
Name:Chain
Also Known As:Essex-Merrimack
Location:Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA
Crossing:Merrimack River
At or Near Feature:Deer Island
Coordinates:N 42.833947 W 70.906811
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:John Templeman
References:AAJ, BBR, CAB, GBD, HBE, POPE, PTS2, RDH
Use:Vehicular (two-lane, light vehicles only)
Status:Replaced, 1909
Main Cables:Chain (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 74.1 meters (243 feet)
Deck width:30 feet (2 roadways of 15 feet)

Notes:

  • John Templeman built several bridges (like this one) using James Finley's design.
  • Repaired in 1827 after 5 of 10 chains snapped under weight of a team of oxen.
  • The complete description from Thomas Pope's 1811 Treatise (POPE):
    "The chain Bridge lately thrown over the Merrimack, three miles above Newburyport, in the state of Massachusetts, is now in constant use. This Bridge consists of a single arc, two hundred and forty-four feet span. The abutments are of stone, forty-seven feet long, and thirty-seven high; the uprights, or framed work, which stand on the abutments, are thirty-five feet high, over which are suspended ten distinct chains, the ends of which on both sides of the river are buried deep in pits and secured by large stones: each chain is five hundred and sixteen feet long; and, where they pass over the uprights, they are treble, and made in short links, which is said to be more secure than saddles made of plates of iron. The four middle joists rest on the chains; all the rest are suspended to the main chains to equalize the floor. This Bridge has two passage-ways of fifteen feet in width each, and the floor is so solid as to admit of horses, carriages, etc. to travel at any speed, with very little perceptible motion of the floors. The railing is stout and strong, which adds much firmness to the floor. There are three chains in each range on each side, and four in the middle range: they are calculated to support nearly five hundred tons. From the surface of the water to the middle of the floor is forty feet; and from the top of the abutments to the top of the uprights is thirty-five feet high, making seventy-two feet. The magnitude and power of the abutments, the width and length of the floors, the elevation of the work, the evident powers of the chains, etc. all conspire to make it a wonderful work. Every expense attending it did not amount to twenty-five thousand dollars. The abutment being of stone, the uprights covered, and the chains painted to prevent rust, leaves nothing but the flooring to decay. This Bridge was constructed by John Templeman, Esq. of the district of Columbia, whose talents for the productions of such work, and the various improvements suggested and used by him, have been highly beneficial, and do him great credit."
  • Gregory W. Buff sent a transcription of an article describing the 1827 failure. The article was in the Saturday, February 24, 1827 issue (Volume IV, Number 31) of the Canadian Spectator (Montreal, Quebec) newspaper:
    "Newburyport, Feb 9. Disastrious [sic] Accident. - On Tuesday morning last, the Essex Merrimack Bridge gave way in the centre, from the parting of the chains that support it. On the Bridge, at the moment, was a loaded team, drawn by six oxen and two horses, driven by two men, Messrs. Garlton [sic] and Jackman, all of whom were precipitated, forty feet, into the river beneath. The teamsters preserved themselves by means of swimming, and the support of fragments of the bridge; the team were all of them except one of the horses, swept beneath the ice a few rods below, and drowned. Five of the ten chains which supported the Bridge, were snapped in different places, and now remain upholding the broken and shattered timber altogether as sad a wreck as we ever witnessed. At the moment of the crash, the light evolved from the friction of the chains resembled the the vivid streaming of a meteor. Various excuses are assigned for the accident, and none, with more probability, than the united effect of the incumbent pressure of the immense body of snow lying upon the bridge, and the frost which had contracted the particles of iron. These produced a tenseness in the chains, which was incapable of resisting the additional pressure of the loaded team, and the whole gave way. The estimated expense of repairing the breach is about 4000 dollars; and the Directors, as we understand, plan to set about it immediately. It will be built up as before. To those who have been losers by this accident the corporation intend to make generous inumeration. The traveling will be uninterrupted, as the solidity of the ice above the bridge forms a safe passage way - and for the conveyance of carriages and heavy baggage the proprietors have promptly provided suitable boats. If any aversion to chain bridges has been produced by this accident, we should be sorry, for ourselves we feel yet unshaken faith in their superior security. The misfortune in this case was no doubt owing to the causes above stated, and not to any defect in the construction of the bridge. Probably hundreds of individuals, including each sex and all ages, have visited the ruins of the bridge. They present a sad and melancholy appearance - crushed and broken timbers suspended by the massy chains, which hang lazily from the pyramidical abutments, while the beholder instinctly shrinks back in terror at the reflection of the situation of the two human beings who were precipitated into the abyss beneath. The preservation of these two men is almost miraculous. Although hurled down 40 feet amid crashing and falling timber, entangled with their cattle, they fell without receiving the least injury, and attained the shore, after being for nearly half an hour, immerse in water chilled to the freezing point. Mr. Jackman is far advanced in years - and suffered somewhat from the exposure to the cold. Mr. Carlton [sic], escaped unhurt. The Chain Bridge has been built for about fifteen years, the span is 220 feet. We believe this was the second or third Chain Bridge built in the United States; and this is probably the first that has met with a similar accident. We understand the proprieters of the Rooks Bridge intend to rebuild theirs as a Chain Bridge."
  • Replaced by 1909 Chain - Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA. The 1909 structure was almost entirely new (except for portions of the piers and abutments).

External Links:

Stereoview, collection of David Denenberg Glass slide, collection of David Denenberg Postcard, collection of David Denenberg

1811: (suspension bridge)

Juniata Crossing, Pennsylvania, USA - Juniata River
Bridgemeister ID:15 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1811
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Juniata Crossing, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Juniata River
References:CAB, DSE20000403
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Chain (iron)

External Links:


1811: (suspension bridge)

Kentucky, USA
Bridgemeister ID:16 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1811
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Kentucky, USA
References:CAB
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Chain (iron)

1811: (suspension bridge)

Kentucky, USA
Bridgemeister ID:17 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1811
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Kentucky, USA
References:CAB
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Chain (iron)

1811: Third Street

Easton, Pennsylvania, USA - Lehigh River
Bridgemeister ID:18 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1811
Name:Third Street
Location:Easton, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Lehigh River
Principals:Jacob Blumer (?)
References:CAB, DSE20000203
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Chain (iron)

External Links:


1814: Hamilton Street

Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA - Lehigh River
Bridgemeister ID:19 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1814
Name:Hamilton Street
Location:Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Lehigh River
Principals:Jacob Blumer
References:AAJ, CAB, DSE20000203, PTS2
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Chain (iron)
Suspended Spans:4
Main Spans:2
Side Spans:2

External Links:


1816: Spider

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA - Schuylkill River
Bridgemeister ID:20 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1816
Name:Spider
Location:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Schuylkill River
Principals:Josiah White, Erskine Hazard
References:AAJ, BOB, BPL, GHD, HBE, LAB, PTS2
Use:Footbridge
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Main Span:1 x 120 meters (393.75 feet)

Notes:

  • Narrow footbridge. First wire bridge in North America. HBE notes "first wire suspension bridge in any country."
  • Often described as having collapsed under the weight of ice and snow, Don Sayenga notes that no contemporary sources confirm this demise. Since the nearby chain bridge did fail under weight of ice and snow, he believes this fate has been misattributed to the White and Hazard footbridge. Don believes the bridge was just dismantled at some point after June, 1816.
  • Al Zagofsky also wrote to explain there was no evidence of this bridge collapsing under weight of ice and snow. Al writes: "According to an original source Captain Joshua Rowley Watson, who inspected the bridge on June 15, 1816: '...There was a bridge, but which by the weight of ice and snow, has been carried away.' This refers to the previous bridge that the cable bridge was temporarily replacing. I did not see any cause for failure of the wire rope bridge. My guess is that it was removed when the regular bridge was repaired. The same article shows a sketch that he made, showing the main span to be 407 feet. I am looking at the Canal History and Technology Proceedings Vol 5, March 22, 1986."

1820: Wills Creek

Cumberland, Maryland, USA - Wills Creek
Bridgemeister ID:1149 (added 2004-01-17)
Year Completed:1820
Name:Wills Creek
Location:Cumberland, Maryland, USA
Crossing:Wills Creek
Principals:Valentine Shockey
References:CAB
Status:Destroyed, 1838
Main Cables:Chain (iron)
Main Span:1 x 46.2 meters (151.5 feet)

Notes:


1824: Biery's

Biery's Port (Catasauqua), Pennsylvania, USA - Lehigh River
Bridgemeister ID:21 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1824
Name:Biery's
Location:Biery's Port (Catasauqua), Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Lehigh River
Principals:Jacob Blumer, George Deily (?)
References:CAB, DSE20000203
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Chain (iron)

1824: Lehigh Gap

Lehigh Gap, Pennsylvania, USA - Lehigh River
Bridgemeister ID:22 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1824
Name:Lehigh Gap
Also Known As:Palmerton
Location:Lehigh Gap, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Lehigh River
Principals:Jacob Blumer
References:AAJ, CAB, DSE20000203, WHSB
Use:Vehicular
Status:Replaced, 1933
Main Cables:Chain (iron)
Suspended Spans:3

Notes:

  • Finley patent bridge.

External Links:

Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1827: (suspension bridge)

Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA - Merrimack River
Bridgemeister ID:23 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1827
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA
Crossing:Merrimack River
Principals:Thomas Haven
References:AAJ, BPL, HBE, PTS2
Status:Replaced, 1840
Main Cables:Chain (iron)
Suspended Spans:5
Main Spans:3
Side Spans:2

Notes:

  • Multi-span structure distinct from Templeman's 1810 Chain Bridge. Sometimes misidentified as an 1827 replacement to the 1810 Templeman Chain Bridge because of the significant damage to the Templeman bridge in 1827.

External Links:

Print, collection of David Denenberg

1842: Fairmount

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA - Schuylkill River
Bridgemeister ID:24 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1842
Name:Fairmount
Also Known As:Callowhill Street, Upper Ferry
Location:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Schuylkill River
Principals:Charles Ellet
References:BBR, BOB, BPL, HBE, LAB, PTS2, WHSB
Use:Vehicular
Status:Replaced, 1875
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 104.2 meters (342 feet)

Notes:

  • BBR and BOB say 1841.
Stereoview, collection of David Denenberg

1843: (suspension bridge)

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA - Miami Canal
Bridgemeister ID:25 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1843
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Crossing:Miami Canal
References:BOB
Status:Removed
Suspended Spans:3

1845: Pittsburgh Aqueduct

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA - Allegheny River
Bridgemeister ID:27 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1845
Name:Pittsburgh Aqueduct
Location:Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Allegheny River
Principals:John A. Roebling
References:BOB, BOP, BPL, HBE, ONF, PTS2, RDH, SJR
Use:Aqueduct
Status:Removed, 1861
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:7
Main Spans:7 x 49.4 meters (162 feet)

Notes:

  • In use until 1860.

External Links:


1846: Monongahela

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA - Monongahela River
Bridgemeister ID:28 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1846
Name:Monongahela
Also Known As:Smithfield Street
Location:Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Monongahela River
Principals:John A. Roebling
References:BOB, BOP, BPL, HBE, ONF, PBR, PTS2
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed, 1882
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:8
Main Spans:8 x 57.3 meters (188 feet)
Deck width:20 feet

External Links:


1848: Delaware Aqueduct

Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania and Minisink Ford, New York, USA - Delaware River
Bridgemeister ID:30 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1848
Name:Delaware Aqueduct
Also Known As:Roebling Aqueduct
Location:Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania and Minisink Ford, New York, USA
Crossing:Delaware River
Coordinates:N 41.48262 W 74.98461
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:John A. Roebling
References:AAJ, BDR, BOB, BPL, GBD, LAB, LACE, RDH, SJR
Use:Aqueduct and Vehicular (one-lane), with walkway
Status:In use (last checked: 2006)
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:4
Main Spans:1 x 43.3 meters (142 feet),
3 x 39.9 meters (131 feet)

Notes:

External Links:

Photo by David Denenberg Photo by Andy Warren Photo courtesy National Park Service Photo by Patrick S. O'Donnell

1848: Niagara Suspension

Niagara Falls, New York, USA and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada - Niagara River
Bridgemeister ID:29 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1848
Name:Niagara Suspension
Location:Niagara Falls, New York, USA and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Crossing:Niagara River
Principals:Charles Ellet
References:BOB, BPL, HBE, ONF, PTS2
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 234.7 meters (770 feet)
Deck width:7.5 feet

Notes:


1849: Lackawaxen Aqueduct

Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania, USA - Lackawaxen River
Bridgemeister ID:31 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1849
Name:Lackawaxen Aqueduct
Location:Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Lackawaxen River
Principals:John A. Roebling
References:AAJ, BOB, BPL, RDH, SJR
Use:Aqueduct
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:2
Main Spans:2 x 34.9 meters (114.37 feet)

Notes:

External Links:


1849: Wheeling

Wheeling, West Virginia, USA - Ohio River
Bridgemeister ID:32 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1849
Name:Wheeling
Also Known As:Wheeling and Belmont
Location:Wheeling, West Virginia, USA
Crossing:Ohio River
Coordinates:N 40.07167 W 80.72667
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Charles Ellet
References:AAJ, BBR, BC3, BOB, BPL, CEJ, COB, GBD, HBE, LAB, LACE, ONF, PTS2, RWS, WCC, WHSB
Use:Vehicular (two-lane, light vehicles only)
Status:Restricted to foot traffic, since September 2019 (last checked: 2020)
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 307.8 meters (1,010 feet)

Notes:

  • Was still part of Virginia at time of completion.
  • 1854: Rebuilt after it was wrecked by a windstorm. Contrary to popular myth, the rebuilding was undertaken by Ellet and his assistant William K. McComas, not by John A. Roebling.
  • 1860: Overhauled. Popular myth often attributes this work to the Roeblings. WHSB attributes this work to William K. McComas. After this overhaul, the bridge still does not have the distinctive diagonal cable stays that give it the appearance of a Roebling bridge.
  • 1872: Overhauled according to a design by Washington Roebling. John A. Roebling had died in 1869 and was not involved with this work. WHSB notes, "The design essentially Roeblingized the bridge with the diagonal cable stays that are such a prominent feature of the bridge."
  • 2019, September: Closed to vehicular traffic indefinitely due to safety concerns after repeated overweight vehicle violations.
  • 2020, November: Bids being evaluated for renovation project. Bridge remains closed to vehicular traffic.
  • 2021, April: Single bid received was rejected. Bids expected to be resolicited in June. The bridge remains closed to all vehicular traffic.
  • 2022, February: $17.9 million renovation project expected to start soon.
  • Became longest suspension bridge by eclipsing 1834 Zaehringen (Grand Pont Suspendu) - Fribourg, Switzerland.
  • Eclipsed by new longest suspension bridge 1867 John A. Roebling (Cincinnati, Cincinnati and Covington) - Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky, USA.

External Links:

Photo by David Denenberg Photo by Wayne Grodkiewicz Photo by Stuart Brorson Photo by Scott Bumgardner Photo by Patrick S. O'Donnell Photo by David Denenberg Collection of Doug Lehman Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1850: (suspension bridge)

Nashville and Edgefield, Tennessee, USA - Cumberland River
Bridgemeister ID:33 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1850
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Nashville and Edgefield, Tennessee, USA
Crossing:Cumberland River
Principals:Adolphus Heiman, Mathew Dickinson Field
References:AAJ
Use:Vehicular
Status:Destroyed, 1862
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Main Span:1 x 164 meters (538 feet)

Notes:

External Links:

Stereoview, collection of David Denenberg

1851: High Falls Aqueduct

High Falls, New York, USA - Rondout Creek
Bridgemeister ID:34 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1851
Name:High Falls Aqueduct
Location:High Falls, New York, USA
Crossing:Rondout Creek
Principals:John A. Roebling
References:AAJ, BOB, BPL, RDH, SJR
Use:Aqueduct
Status:Removed, August, 1921
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 44.2 meters (145 feet)

Notes:

External Links:


1851: Lewiston-Queenston

Lewiston, New York, USA and Queenston, Ontario, Canada - Niagara River
Bridgemeister ID:35 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1851
Name:Lewiston-Queenston
Location:Lewiston, New York, USA and Queenston, Ontario, Canada
Crossing:Niagara River
Principals:Edward Serrell
References:AAJ, BOB, BPL, HBE, PTS2
Use:Vehicular
Status:Wrecked, 1864
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 258.8 meters (849 feet)
Deck width:21 feet (AAJ: 19.5 feet)

Notes:

  • Wrecked by wind February 1, 1864. Stay cables beneath the bridge had been disconnected to avoid damage from rising ice. Portions of the cables and deck remained, in a derelict state, as late as 1895. Replacement was not started until the late 1890's.
  • The February 3, 1864 edition of Niagara Falls Gazette describes the wind event: "Partial Destruction Of The Lewiston Suspension Bridge -- A portion of the flooring and other wood-work of the Lewiston Suspension Bridge was blown down during the gale Monday forenoon. It seems that the long guys had been cut during the late ice jam to prevent injury to the structure and thus its strength to withstand a gale was much weakened. The wind swept through the gorge on Monday with terrific force and swayed the bridge so that some of the cross timbers, near the centre were loosened from their fastenings, and fell, of course carrying the floor with them. A large portion at each end, remains without material injury. The extent of the damage -- financially -- we have not yet learned, but we judge from what we hear that it may be about $10,000. The bridge was built in 1852 and cost not far from $40,000. It will doubtless soon be repaired and in use."
  • Later at same location 1899 Lewiston-Queenston - Lewiston, New York, USA and Queenston, Ontario, Canada.
  • See 1849 Wheeling (Wheeling and Belmont) - Wheeling, West Virginia, USA. The 1851 Lewiston-Queenston bridge is sometimes claimed to have become the longest in the world with a main span surpassing the length of the Wheeling suspension bridge. However, Don Sayenga notes the length of the suspended span of the Lewiston-Queenston bridge was only 849 feet, not the 1,043 feet sometimes cited. Don writes: "[1,043 feet] was the distance between the towers built high up on the cliffs above the crossing - because there was no space for them below. The roadway suspended from the towers was only 849 feet span over the water from abutment to abutment." Thus, Roebling's Cincinnati bridge should be considered the first to eclipse Wheeling's record main span.

External Links:

Stereoview, collection of David Denenberg

1851: Neversink Aqueduct

Cuddebackville, New York, USA - Neversink River
Bridgemeister ID:36 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1851
Name:Neversink Aqueduct
Location:Cuddebackville, New York, USA
Crossing:Neversink River
Principals:John A. Roebling
References:AAJ, BOB, RDH, SJR
Use:Aqueduct
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 51.8 meters (170 feet)

Notes:

External Links:


1852: (suspension bridge)

Frankfort, Kentucky, USA - Kentucky River
Bridgemeister ID:1714 (added 2005-04-03)
Year Completed:1852
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Frankfort, Kentucky, USA
Crossing:Kentucky River
Coordinates:N 38.201998 W 84.881934
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Mathew Dickinson Field
References:AAJ, ENG18570605, HBE, HOF
Use:Rail
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:2
Main Spans:1 x 61 meters (200 feet) estimated,
1 x 91.4 meters (300 feet) estimated

Notes:

  • An early attempt at a railroad suspension bridge, it was significantly reconstructed (because of excessive vibrations and increasing loads) by Julius W. Adams in 1857 to have three spans of 120, 163, and 163 feet. It is unclear whether the new structure was also a suspension bridge.
  • HOF describes the location as "between the foot of Broadway and the neck of land near the mouth of Benson Creek." The coordinates provided here are for the later rail crossing at that general location, likely at or very close to the site of the suspension bridge.

1852: Charleston

Charleston, West Virginia, USA - Elk River
Bridgemeister ID:38 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1852
Name:Charleston
Also Known As:Lovell Street
Location:Charleston, West Virginia, USA
Crossing:Elk River
Principals:W. O. Buchanan, William Kuhn, Abraham Wright
References:AAJ, EOV, HBE, PTS2
Use:Vehicular
Status:Collapsed, December 15, 1904
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 145.7 meters (478 feet)
Deck width:17 feet

Notes:

  • Was still part of Virginia at time of completion.
  • Damaged during Civil War. An article in the August 2, 1861 issue of the New York Times mentions: "A junction of our forces having now been effected, the army at once moved on to Elk River, which debouches into the Kanawha at Charleston, where the army encamped for the night. We would have crossed the stream at once, and marched through the town the same evening, but for the fact that the rebels had partially destroyed the beautiful suspension bridge which spans Elk River at this spot, rendering it unsafe for passage. Not content with burning a portion of the flooring, they nearly severed the strands which support the structure, and aid their work, too, in the most bungling manner. A more shameless piece of vandalism I never witnessed. While the army slept, a company of sappers and miners repaired the damage, and yesterday the army, nearly five thousand strong, marched through the streets of Charleston."
  • Near 1884 (suspension bridge) - Charleston, West Virginia, USA.
Print, collection of David Denenberg Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1852: Fairmont and Palatine

Fairmont, West Virginia, USA - Monongahela River
Bridgemeister ID:39 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1852
Name:Fairmont and Palatine
Location:Fairmont, West Virginia, USA
Crossing:Monongahela River
Principals:James L. Randolph
References:EOV, PTS2
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

Notes:

  • Was still part of Virginia at time of completion.
Postcard, collection of David Denenberg

1852: Huse

Yeomet, California, USA - Cosumnes River
Bridgemeister ID:1088 (added 2004-01-01)
Year Completed:1852
Name:Huse
Location:Yeomet, California, USA
Crossing:Cosumnes River
Coordinates:N 38.55323 W 120.84755
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:E.P. Bowman
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

Notes:

  • Yeomet was located near the present day California Route 49 crossing of the Cosumnes River by the confluence of the North Fork and Middle Fork of the Cosumnes River. Yeomet was once known as "Forks of the Cosumnes." The location coordinates provided here are only to show the approximate location of the confluence and should not be considered the exact location of the bridge. This inventory entry represents the suspension bridge for which a photograph exists in the Lawrence & Houseworth collection titled "Suspension Bridge over the Cosumnes River, At Yeomet, El Dorado County". This image exists in several online archives.
  • Barry Parr, consulting Erwin Gudde's California Gold Camps (University of California Press), writes that Gudde notes the bridge is located "at Yeomet and says it was marked on the County Map in 1866, and was owned by S.E. Huse for a decade. Of Yeomet, Gudde writes: 'Amador County. At the junction of the forks of Cosumnes River, formerly in El Dorado County'. Gudde says the camp developed in 1849 or 1850 and prospered for a number of years, but says nothing further about the bridge." Barry also notes that some sources cite Yeomet as located in Calaveras County, but this is because Amador County was created in 1854 from Calaveras County. Barry continues: "The California Division of Mines Bulletin 141, Geological Guidebook along Highway 49, mentions the Highway 49 bridge across the Cosumnes as also known as the Huse Bridge."
  • The October 14, 1976 edition of The Mountain Democrat Times (Placerville, California) has an article about the Huse Bridge (from the Heritage Association of El Dorado) describing Huse's Bridge:
    "E.P. Bowman, an early motel keeper in Yeomet had a ferry across the Cosumnes and by 1852 had built a bridge there (J.M. Watrous had a ferry there also). Traffic was heavy and... [the tolls were] as much a 'gold mine' as most of the nearby river claims which ran for miles above and below the town. (Yeomet falls was below the bridge). The famous Mother Lode crossed the river in the vicinity of the town. Samuel Huse bought the bridge at Yeomet in about 1862 and owned it until his death. His widow Laura sold the wire suspension bridge and the exclusive right to collect tolls to John Ballard and W.H. Martin in 1883. William Miller purchased the property in 1887."
    It is unclear if the 1852 E.P. Bowman bridge was the same structure as the suspension bridge purchased by Huse ten years later, but it has been assumed here pending additional details.
  • An obituary for in the August 28, 1949 edition of the Oakland Tribune for Lilian Williams presents a stronger tie between E.P. Bowman and S.E. Huse: "With her foster parents, the E. P. Bowmans, Mrs. Williams spent her childhood in Oakland, San Francisco and Yeomet, between Plymouth and Placerville. Bowman and her foster uncle, S.E. Huse, owned a hotel at Yeomet. They also built and operated a toll bridge there on the Cosumnes River, over which most of the heavy machinery and mining equipment was transported to the old Mother Lode mines."
  • See 1852 Wilson's - Cosumne, California, USA.
  • See 1863 Lamb's - Latrobe vicinity and Plymouth vicinity, California, USA.

External Links:


1852: Wilson's

Cosumne, California, USA - Cosumnes River
Bridgemeister ID:2116 (added 2006-09-10)
Year Completed:1852
Name:Wilson's
Location:Cosumne, California, USA
Crossing:Cosumnes River
Coordinates:N 38.49229 W 121.17183
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:W. D. Wilson
References:DSL200106
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire
Main Span:1 x 45.7 meters (150 feet)
Deck width:12 feet

Notes:

  • The location of this bridge was near the present day location of Cosumne in Sacramento County, just east of Sloughhouse. The location coordinates provided here are only to show the approximate location of present-day Cosumne and should not be considered the exact location of the bridge. Don Sayenga writes: "The exact location was at the intersection of [present-day] Dillard Road and State Route 16 a very short distance east of Sloughhouse, Sacramento County, California... The whole area at that time was known as Daylor's Ranch."
  • Don Sayenga notes an F.W. Panhorst (of the California Highway Department) citation:
    "Alta California July 27, 1852 reprinting an article from Sacramento Union mentions a wire suspension bridge built in Sacramento County across the Cosumnes. The span is described as 150 feet with a roadway width of 12 feet. One W.D. Wilson is mentioned as owner and designer. This structure, according to our best information, was the first suspension bridge in California."
  • A January 14, 1862 Sacramento Bee article notes:
    "The quartz mill and house of the brothers Wiley, just beyond Butte City, were carried away by the torrent. At Ione City, William's brick stable had fallen, and several other houses had met with a like fate. On Sutter creek, the loss and damage had been terrific - bridges and houses being carried off like chaff. Mr. Haywood, proprietor of a quartz mill on Sutter creek, had been a loser to the amount of at least $75,000. We have it from good authority that in the counties of Calaveras and Amador not a bridge is left standing. Below Ione City, it is thought that there has been loss of life."

    "Last Saturday night, the reports of minute guns were heard, as if signals of distress, coming from the direction of a house where lived Mr. Martin and his family. The whole of Ione Valley was many feet under water. No boats were to be had, so that assistance might be rendered those in danger and distress. In a short time a heavy crash was heard, the signals of distress ceased, and our informant tells us that when he left the general impression was that Martin and his family had lost their lives. The wire suspension bridge over the Cosumnes river had disappeared - the house known as Wilson’s Exchange has also been washed away, and Daylor’s adobe house is flat with the ground. These facts go to show that throughout the mountain districts, as well as in the valleys, the destruction of property and loss of human life exceed the worst that was anticipated, and we shall hear repetitions of such tales of distress as the avenues for communication are gradually opened to us."
    which seems to imply a relationship between the Ione Valley, the Cosumnes River, and the bridge at Wilson's Exchange, but this may have just been coincidental that both "Ione Valley" and Wilson's Exchange were mentioned in the same paragraph; they are nearby. Present-day Ione is in Amador County a few miles east of Sacramento County. The Cosumnes River forms the northern border of Amador County several miles to the north of present-day Ione. Barry Parr notes that the Cosumnes River does not flow through the "Ione Valley," but Barry writes: "Recalling Daylor’s name in Historic Spots of California: 'Daylor established himself as a trader and hotel-keeper on the Cosumnes River about a mile east of Slough House. This place, which was at first known as Daylor’s Ranch, later became the Cosumnes post office.' (p. 290) The site of Cosumnes post office is about five miles downstream from Bridge House, and both are on the Sacramento-Ione Road.
  • See 1852 Huse - Yeomet, California, USA.
  • See 1863 Lamb's - Latrobe vicinity and Plymouth vicinity, California, USA.

External Links:

  • Oliver Plummer. Transcription by Debbie Walke Gramlick of passage from An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California. (by Hon. Win. J. Davis, Lewis Publishing Company, 1890, Pages 435-436) which sheds more light on W.D. Wilson.
    "Mr. Wilson and part of the company concluded to seek the land of gold, while others kept to the original design of going to Oregon. On his arrival Mr. Wilson mined for a short time on Mormon Island and then moved to Hangtown, now Placerville, where in the winter of 1848-49 he built the first house erected in that place. The family then comprised six children; five more were born in California; nine grew to maturity and seven are living in 1889. In the spring of 1850 he moved down on the Cosumnes and purchased 6,000 acres of the Hartnell Grant, and built a tavern, long known as Wilson’s Exchange, across the river from what is now the Cosumnes post office. He was postmaster from the establishment of that office until 1868. He was by trade a millwright and built the first suspension bridge on the Cosumnes."

1853: (suspension bridge)

Delaware, Ohio, USA - Olentangy River
Bridgemeister ID:774 (added 2003-03-14)
Year Completed:1853
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Delaware, Ohio, USA
Crossing:Olentangy River
At or Near Feature:Winter Street
Principals:John Gray
References:SME20030311
Use:Footbridge
Status:Destroyed, February 1883
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Main Span:1 x 61 meters (200 feet) estimated

Notes:

  • SME20030311: Intended only for foot traffic, destroyed by ice jam February 1883.

1853: (suspension bridge)

Falmouth, Kentucky, USA - Licking River
Bridgemeister ID:42 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1853
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Falmouth, Kentucky, USA
Crossing:Licking River
Principals:D. Griffith Smith
References:AAJ, EOV
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Main Span:1 x 98.5 meters (323 feet)

1853: Dresden

Dresden, Ohio, USA - Muskingum River
Bridgemeister ID:43 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1853
Name:Dresden
Location:Dresden, Ohio, USA
Crossing:Muskingum River
Principals:George Copland
References:EOV, GBD, OCEN198202
Use:Vehicular
Status:Destroyed, 1913
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

External Links:

Postcard, collection of David Denenberg

1853: Fort Hunter

Tribes Hill and Fort Hunter, New York, USA - Mohawk River
Bridgemeister ID:44 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1853
Name:Fort Hunter
Also Known As:Fonda
Location:Tribes Hill and Fort Hunter, New York, USA
Crossing:Mohawk River
Principals:John W. Murphy, Thomas R. Hulett
References:ONC, PTS2
Use:Vehicular
Status:Dismantled, 1935
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 169.5 meters (556 feet)

Notes:

  • According to ONC: Designed by John W. Murphy (who designed several suspension bridges in the 1850s and 1860s in New York and Pennsylvania). Fort Hunter Suspension Bridge Company incorporated in 1852, but cables were not installed until 1853.
  • 1935: Bridge is dismantled (ONC).
Postcard, collection of David Denenberg Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1853: Mill Pond

Kingfield, Maine, USA - Carrabasset River
Bridgemeister ID:45 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1853
Name:Mill Pond
Location:Kingfield, Maine, USA
Crossing:Carrabasset River
Principals:Daniel Beedy
References:AAJ, BPL
Use:Vehicular (one-lane), with walkway
Status:Replaced, 1916
Main Cables:Chain (iron)
Main Span:1 x 57.9 meters (190 feet)
Deck width:15 feet

Notes:

Photograph, collection of David Denenberg Photograph, collection of David Denenberg

1853: O'Byrne's

Copperopolis vicinity, California, USA - Stanislaus River
Bridgemeister ID:2324 (added 2007-05-06)
Year Completed:1853
Name:O'Byrne's
Location:Copperopolis vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Stanislaus River
Use:Vehicular
Status:Destroyed, 1862

Notes:

  • Different accounts describe this as a chain and wire suspension bridge. Collapsed November, 1853 under weight of oxen team. Rebuilt, but destroyed by flood, 1862. Replaced by a multi-span covered bridge.
  • Name "O'Byrne's" appears to have originated with a "Patrick O. Byrne" who operated a ferry at this location prior to construction of the suspension bridge. After time, it became known as O'Byrne's Ferry.

1853: Tiffin

Tiffin, Ohio, USA - Sandusky River
Bridgemeister ID:46 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1853
Name:Tiffin
Location:Tiffin, Ohio, USA
Crossing:Sandusky River
Principals:John Gray
References:EOV
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

1854: Elk River

Sutton, West Virginia, USA - Elk River
Bridgemeister ID:554 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1854
Name:Elk River
Location:Sutton, West Virginia, USA
Crossing:Elk River
Principals:Ira Hart
References:EOV
Use:Vehicular, with walkway
Status:Removed, 1930
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Main Span:1 x 140.2 meters (460 feet)

Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1854: Licking River I

Covington and Newport, Kentucky, USA - Licking River
Bridgemeister ID:47 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1854
Name:Licking River I
Location:Covington and Newport, Kentucky, USA
Crossing:Licking River
Principals:John Gray, George C. Tarvin
References:BOB, BPL, EOV
Status:Collapsed, 1854

Notes:

  • BPL: Collapsed under weight of cattle 1853. BOB: Indicates year of completion and collapse as 1854. EOV: Appears more authoritative on the matter, "Although the bridge was not quite finished, Tarvin and the mayor of Covington rode the first vehicle across it on December 28, 1853. Less than two weeks later... the bridge collapsed."
  • The January 18, 1854 edition of The New York Times has a small article with a January 16, 1854 byline reporting the collapse of the bridge: "The... bridge... gave way this evening, while two men and eighteen cattle were crossing it... The keys which held the wire cable to the anchors gave way."
  • Replaced by 1854 Licking River II - Covington and Newport, Kentucky, USA.

1854: Licking River II

Covington and Newport, Kentucky, USA - Licking River
Bridgemeister ID:48 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1854
Name:Licking River II
Location:Covington and Newport, Kentucky, USA
Crossing:Licking River
Principals:John Gray
References:EOV
Status:Removed

Notes:


1854: Morgantown

Morgantown, West Virginia, USA - Monongahela River
Bridgemeister ID:49 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1854
Name:Morgantown
Location:Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
Crossing:Monongahela River
References:AAJ, EN19070918, EOV, HBE, PTS2
Use:Vehicular, with walkway
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 185.3 meters (608 feet)
Deck width:20 feet

Notes:

  • Was still part of Virginia at time of completion.
Postcard, collection of David Denenberg

1855: Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA - Mississippi River
Bridgemeister ID:50 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1855
Name:Minneapolis
Also Known As:St. Anthony's Falls
Location:Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Crossing:Mississippi River
At or Near Feature:Nicollet Island
Principals:Thomas M. Griffith
References:AAJ, BPL, HBE, PTS2
Use:Vehicular
Status:Demolished, 1876
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 189 meters (620 feet)
Deck width:17 feet

Notes:

External Links:

Stereoview, collection of David Denenberg

1855: Niagara Suspension

Niagara Falls, New York, USA and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada - Niagara River
Bridgemeister ID:51 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1855
Name:Niagara Suspension
Location:Niagara Falls, New York, USA and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Crossing:Niagara River
Principals:John A. Roebling
References:AAJ, BAAW, BBR, BFL, BMA, BOB, BPL, HBE, LIR, NSB, ONF, PTS2, SA18810716, SJR
Use:Rail (heavy rail) and Vehicular (double-deck), with walkway
Status:Replaced, 1897
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 250.3 meters (821.3 feet)

Notes:

External Links:

Stereoview, collection of David Denenberg

1855: Shohola

Barryville, New York and Shohola, Pennsylvania, USA - Delaware River
Bridgemeister ID:41 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1855
Name:Shohola
Also Known As:Barryville-Shohola, Shohola-Barryville
Location:Barryville, New York and Shohola, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Delaware River
Principals:Chauncy Thomas, John A. Roebling
References:BDR, SHO
Use:Vehicular
Status:Dismantled, 1941
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

  • BDR: Built 1856, severely damaged 1859, rebuilt, collapsed Jan. 1st 1865, rebuilt 1866. Dale writes: "A respected historian, John Willard Johnston, who knew Chauncey Thomas personally and visited the area during his ownership of the toll bridge, insisted that Thomas, as the builder, was grossly incompetent."
  • Originally constructed with one main span, the center pier was added during the 1866 reconstruction.
  • Don Sayenga's research leads him to conclude the bridge was completed in the fall of 1855. He notes an article from the Pike County Democrat (June 21, 1872) stating the bridge was completed in 1855. The article also notes the 1859 collapse occurred on July 2, 1859. Don's interest in this bridge is piqued by the connection to John Roebling, "...this bridge seems to be the only John Roebling bridge that failed in service..." Roebling prepared plans, for the original bridge, for Chauncy Thomas (who, by Dale's account was inexperienced).
Postcard, collection of David Denenberg Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1855: Whiskey Bar

El Dorado County, California, USA - American River
Bridgemeister ID:3357 (added 2019-12-15)
Year Completed:1855
Name:Whiskey Bar
Also Known As:Pioneer, Whisky
Location:El Dorado County, California, USA
Crossing:American River
Use:Vehicular
Status:Destroyed, 1862
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

Notes:


1856: Bidwell Bar

Oroville, California, USA - Feather River
Bridgemeister ID:52 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1856
Name:Bidwell Bar
Location:Oroville, California, USA
Crossing:Feather River
Coordinates:N 39.537483 W 121.45415
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Bidwell Bridge Co.
References:BPL, DSL200106, LACE
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Restricted to foot traffic (last checked: 2020)
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 67.1 meters (220 feet) estimated

Notes:

  • Dismantled before completion of Oroville Dam and replaced by the 1965 high-level Bidwell Bar suspension bridge. The 1856 structure was later reassembled about 1.5 miles south of the new Bidwell Bar bridge. Coordinates provided here are for the current location of the bridge at Kelly Ridge.
  • Replaced by 1965 Bidwell Bar - Oroville, California, USA.

External Links:

Photo by David Denenberg Photo by Patrick S. O'Donnell Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1856: Bridge of Sighs

Carthage and Rochester, New York, USA - Genesee River
Bridgemeister ID:54 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1856
Name:Bridge of Sighs
Location:Carthage and Rochester, New York, USA
Crossing:Genesee River
Principals:Josiah Bissell, Jr.
Use:Vehicular
Status:Collapsed, 1857
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

Notes:

  • From May 2, 1857 edition of Scientific American: "Fall of a Suspension Bridge. The iron suspension bridge which spans the Genesee River at Rochester, fell on the 21st ult. from the weight of snow on it. The bridge was only finished last summer, and cost over $28,000. It was constructed between iron towers standing on the banks. They were built of cast iron cylinders, bolted together, and standing on high banks, 235 feet above the water. The road-way was 200 feet above the water, and proceeded in almost a straight line from the top of the high bank on one side, to the other. The cables were 780 feet long, and the entire length of the bridge was over 700 feet. It was calculated to sustain a weight of 2.000 tuns. It spanned the Genesee river below the Falls. The metal, it is stated, appears to be defective. The load that was on it when it fell did not amount to 100 tuns."

1856: Guyandotte

Guyandotte and Huntington, West Virginia, USA - Guyandotte River
Bridgemeister ID:40 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1856
Name:Guyandotte
Location:Guyandotte and Huntington, West Virginia, USA
Crossing:Guyandotte River
Coordinates:N 38.430083 W 82.391694
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:George Wilson Mason
References:AAJ, EOV, PTS2
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed, 1907
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 137.2 meters (450 feet)

Notes:

  • EOV cites a source claiming the bridge was begun in 1853, but not completed until 1858. AAJ says completed in 1848. Other sources claim it was completed in 1852 and 1856.
  • Was still part of Virginia at time of completion.
Postcard, collection of David Denenberg

1856: Strong

Strong, Maine, USA - Sandy River
Bridgemeister ID:53 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1856
Name:Strong
Location:Strong, Maine, USA
Crossing:Sandy River
Principals:Daniel Beedy
References:BPL
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Replaced (last checked: 1922)
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 77.4 meters (254 feet)
Deck width:13 feet

Notes:

Postcard, collection of David Denenberg Stereoview, collection of David Denenberg Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1856: Westmoreland's

Lancha Plana, California, USA - Mokelumne River
Bridgemeister ID:1089 (added 2004-01-01)
Year Completed:1856
Name:Westmoreland's
Location:Lancha Plana, California, USA
Crossing:Mokelumne River
References:DSL200106
Status:Inundated
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

Notes:

  • Towers and cables were still standing in the 1940s. The location, including the entire former settlement of Lancha Plana, was inundated by the creation of the Camanche Reservoir in 1963. Unclear if remnants are still present (as is the case for some other inundated 19th-century California suspension bridges).

1857: Black River

Watertown, New York, USA - Black River
Bridgemeister ID:55 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1857
Name:Black River
Also Known As:Bradford, Mill Street
Location:Watertown, New York, USA
Crossing:Black River
Principals:Gilbert Bradford
References:AAJ, HBE, ONC
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed, 1890's
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 53 meters (173.9 feet)
Deck width:18 feet

Notes:

  • Replaced in 1890's (ONC).
Stereoview, collection of David Denenberg

1857: Change

Glendon, Pennsylvania, USA - Lehigh River
Bridgemeister ID:56 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1857
Name:Change
Also Known As:Chain, Lehigh Canal Swinging, Wire Towing Path at Pool No. 8
Location:Glendon, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Lehigh River
Coordinates:N 40.65382 W 75.24774
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co., E.A. Douglas
References:HAERPA461, HBP
Use:Footbridge and Change
Status:Derelict (last checked: 2007)
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:2
Main Spans:2

Notes:

  • Often mistakenly called a "chain" bridge, this is a "change" bridge.

External Links:

  • Aldrich Change Bridge. Dale Oswald explains (in the context of the Aldrich Change Bridge, a non-suspension bridge in Palmyra, New York): "A change bridge is one with low railings and an underpass that allowed draft teams to move from one side of the canal to the other without unhitching, cloverleaf-style."
Photo by David Denenberg

1858: Portsmouth

Portsmouth, Ohio, USA - Scioto River
Bridgemeister ID:57 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1858
Name:Portsmouth
Location:Portsmouth, Ohio, USA
Crossing:Scioto River
Principals:E.B. Gray
References:EOV
Status:Collapsed, 1859

Notes:


1859: General Dean

Carlyle, Illinois, USA - Kaskaskia River
Bridgemeister ID:58 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1859
Name:General Dean
Also Known As:Carlyle
Location:Carlyle, Illinois, USA
Crossing:Kaskaskia River
Coordinates:N 38.611125 W 89.357476
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:D. Griffith Smith
References:BPL, GBD
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Restricted to foot traffic (last checked: 2021)
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 80.5 meters (264 feet)

Notes:

  • Rebuilt 1920s, 1970s. Restored, 1950's, for use as a footbridge.
  • Bypassed, 1924.

External Links:

Photograph, collection of David Denenberg Photo by David Denenberg Photo by Patrick S. O'Donnell Photograph, collection of David Denenberg Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1860: Allegheny River

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA - Allegheny River
Bridgemeister ID:59 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1860
Name:Allegheny River
Also Known As:Sixth Street, St. Clair
Location:Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Allegheny River
Principals:John A. Roebling
References:BOB, BOP, BPL, HBE, PBR, PTS2, SJR
Use:Vehicular, with walkway
Status:Replaced, 1892
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:4
Main Spans:2 x 104.9 meters (344 feet)
Side Spans:2 x 52.1 meters (171 feet)
Deck width:40 feet

Notes:

  • BPL cites this bridge as the first suspension bridge with metal towers. However, at least two earlier suspension bridges (1857 Watertown, New York and 1856 Bidwell Bar, California) are known to have metal towers and even Roebling's 1846 Smithfield Street Bridge in Pittsburgh had cast iron towers.
  • Next to 1884 North Side (Seventh Street) - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

External Links:

Stereoview, collection of David Denenberg

1860: Auburn-Coloma

Auburn and Coloma, California, USA - North Fork American River
Bridgemeister ID:274 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1860
Name:Auburn-Coloma
Location:Auburn and Coloma, California, USA
Crossing:North Fork American River
Principals:John Mollett
References:PTS2
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

Postcard, courtesy of Kevin Walsh

1860: Port Gibson

Grindstone Ford, Port Gibson vicinity, Mississippi, USA - Bayou Pierre
Bridgemeister ID:1659 (added 2005-03-19)
Year Completed:1860
Name:Port Gibson
Location:Grindstone Ford, Port Gibson vicinity, Mississippi, USA
Crossing:Bayou Pierre
References:PTS2
Status:Removed, circa 1920's

Notes:

  • Partially burned by retreating Confederate troops May 2nd, 1863 during the Vicksburg Campaign of the Civil War. Union troops extinquished the fire and quickly repaired the bridge.
  • Demolished, circa 1920's. Descriptions for the Vicksburg Campaign imply there may have been another suspension bridge in the Port Gibson area.

1861: Connellsville

Connellsville and New Haven, Pennsylvania, USA - Youghiogheny River
Bridgemeister ID:278 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1861
Name:Connellsville
Location:Connellsville and New Haven, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Youghiogheny River
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire
Suspended Spans:1

Postcard, collection of David Denenberg Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1861: Gauley River

Gauley Bridge, West Virginia, USA - Gauley River
Bridgemeister ID:2123 (added 2006-09-17)
Year Completed:1861
Name:Gauley River
Location:Gauley Bridge, West Virginia, USA
Crossing:Gauley River
Principals:John W. Murphy
References:AAJ
Use:Vehicular
Status:Destroyed, 1862
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

Notes:

  • Don Sayenga writes:
    "It was built in great haste out of military necessity utilizing abutments and piers of an earlier wooden bridge that had been burnt by a unit of the Confederate Army commanded by Gen. John B. Floyd. This occurred just after the fight known as the Battle of Carnifex Ferry on September 10, 1861. Later the Confederate Army recaptured the bridge location and burnt the new one also. The designer/builder was John W. Murphy (1828-1874) who was working as an engineer in Alabama when the war began in 1861. He held a Civil Engineer degree from Rensselaer. Murphy's concept involved multiple factory-made wire ropes as main cables combined with wooden bracing. The exact location of the bridge seems to have been called the New River Cliffs but I haven't found this on a map. Photos of the bridge came into the possession of Prof. George Plympton, an associate of Murphy's in the latter part of his career. Plympton presented a paper about bridges in 1894 reported by The Railroad Gazette August 24. The photos were given to the Gazette - one of their artists converted the photos to pen-and-ink drawings for publication in the issue of November 9, 1894, p. 773."
    Don transcribed the following:

    The Railroad Gazette, August 24, 1894, Page 579.
    "Prof. Plympton then related two reminiscences of bridge building between 1852 and 1861...The other instance was the building of a military suspension bridge over the Gauley River in 1861. The government called for a bridge of sufficient strength to permit the passage of General Rosecrans corps, allowing twenty-four days' time. The abutments and piers of the former bridge remained in good condition. Murphy submitted an original plan, which was accepted. The plans were drawn up by Mr. Murphy on the cars, while he was traveling to Washington to submit his ideas to the United States army en gineers. The plans were accepted and Murphy at once went to work. Four one-inch wire ropes, laid side by side, formed his cables. A pyramidal tower was constructed of heavy timbers, and in place of suspending rods a loosely-formed truss was hung upon the cable without fastening. This truss, connected with the floor of the bridge, was finished on the 22nd day after receiving the order to build."
    Proceedings of the Franklin Institute, October 21, 1874, Page 306.
    "It was a suspension bridge 520 feet in length, 10 feet roadway, consisting of three spans, supported by eight cables. There was some doubt in the mind of the commanding officer that it would answer the purpose...To test it ...he asked that a battalion be ordered to make a charge over it, which was done, to the satisfaction of the General in command...it afterwards passed and repassed the whole command as long as they occupied that portion of the country. A change of base put it into the possession of the Confederates who burnt it down."
  • An article in the July 15, 1951 edition of The Charleston Daily Mail describes the bridge and its demise:
    "After the Confederate forces had retreated and burned the old covered bridge, the Federal engineers constructed a make-shift bridge across the Gauley. There are pictures in existence showing this light, cable bridge erected on the old piers of the original bridge. This structure was cut down Sept. 11, 1862, when the Federals retreated from an attack by Confederate Gen. W. W. Loring, who routed the Unionists from the valley for a brief time."
  • Jakkula has an 1862 entry for "Gauley River Bridge" with little information, citing the American Railroad Journal, Vol. 37, No. 1472, July 2, 1864, p.651: "A suspension bridge built over the Gauley River, Virginia, by the Government in 1862." It is unclear if this reference is for the same bridge.

1861: Portsmouth

Portsmouth, Ohio, USA - Scioto River
Bridgemeister ID:61 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1861
Name:Portsmouth
Location:Portsmouth, Ohio, USA
Crossing:Scioto River
Principals:Max J. Becker
References:EOV
Status:Removed

Notes:


1861: Weitchpec

Weitchpec, California, USA - Klamath River
Bridgemeister ID:1090 (added 2004-01-01)
Year Completed:1861
Name:Weitchpec
Location:Weitchpec, California, USA
Crossing:Klamath River
Principals:Andrew S. Hallidie
References:DSL200106
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:


1862: (suspension bridge)

California, USA - Trinity River
Bridgemeister ID:1093 (added 2004-01-01)
Year Completed:1862
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:California, USA
Crossing:Trinity River
Principals:Andrew S. Hallidie
References:DSL200106
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

1862: (suspension bridge)

California, USA - Stanislaus River
Bridgemeister ID:1094 (added 2004-01-01)
Year Completed:1862
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:California, USA
Crossing:Stanislaus River
Principals:Andrew S. Hallidie
References:DSL200106
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

1862: (suspension bridge)

California, USA - Tuolumne River
Bridgemeister ID:1095 (added 2004-01-01)
Year Completed:1862
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:California, USA
Crossing:Tuolumne River
Principals:Andrew S. Hallidie
References:DSL200106
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire

1862: (suspension bridge)

McCourtney's Crossing, California, USA - Bear River
Bridgemeister ID:1092 (added 2004-01-01)
Year Completed:1862
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:McCourtney's Crossing, California, USA
Crossing:Bear River
Principals:Andrew S. Hallidie
References:DSL200106
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

1862: Chatham

Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA - Rappahannock River
Bridgemeister ID:271 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1862
Name:Chatham
Location:Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA
Crossing:Rappahannock River
Coordinates:N 38.304981 W 77.456280
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Washington A. Roebling
References:GB
Status:Destroyed
Main Cables:Wire

Notes:

  • After several attempts by the Union Army to restore Rappahannock River bridges near Fredericksburg with pontoon bridges during the Civil War, Washington Roebling built a temporary wire suspension bridge on the piers of the former Chatham Bridge. The suspension bridge may have had twelve or more suspended spans (the former Chatham Bridge supposedly had 13 piers). Started July 1 and completed July 18, it survived less than two months, destroyed on September 1, 1862 by an evacuating Union Army.

External Links:


1862: Pine Street

Nevada City, California, USA - Deer Creek
Bridgemeister ID:62 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1862
Name:Pine Street
Location:Nevada City, California, USA
Crossing:Deer Creek
Principals:Andrew S. Hallidie
References:DSL200106
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1

Photo courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

1862: Rattlesnake Bar

Folsom vicinity, California, USA - American River
Bridgemeister ID:1091 (added 2004-01-01)
Year Completed:1862
Name:Rattlesnake Bar
Location:Folsom vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:American River
At or Near Feature:Rattlesnake Bar
Coordinates:N 38.814397 W 121.091726
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Andrew S. Hallidie
References:DSL200106
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Collapsed, December 21, 1954
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

  • The location of Rattlesnake Bar is closer to present-day Auburn than Folsom, near the location of Goose Flat marked on modern topographical maps of the region. The area was inundated during the creation of Folsom Lake, but the piers and abutments of the Rattlesnake Bar bridge are visible when the water level is low.
  • Rodi Lee writes: "[The bridge] collapsed in 1954 when an overweight truck filled with manure crossed it. The driver was unhurt. There are newspaper articles about the incident (Auburn Journal, Auburn). There are some photos in the article as well. The bridge abutments show when the the lake water is low. The bridge was upstream of Wild Goose Flats."
  • See 1855 Whiskey Bar (Pioneer, Whisky) - El Dorado County, California, USA. The cables of the Rattlesnake Bar bridge were reportedly reused from the damaged Whiskey Bar bridge.

External Links:

Photo courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Photo by Jerry Van Lengen Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1863: Lamb's

Latrobe vicinity and Plymouth vicinity, California, USA - Cosumnes River
Bridgemeister ID:2117 (added 2006-09-10)
Year Completed:1863
Name:Lamb's
Location:Latrobe vicinity and Plymouth vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Cosumnes River
Coordinates:N 38.52222 W 120.95587
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Derelict (last checked: 2020)
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

  • The location coordinates provided here are the approximate location of this bridge, crossing the Cosumnes between present day El Dorado and Amador counties at Michigan Bar (as named on USGS topographical maps) on current Latrobe Road where Clark Creek meets the Cosumnes River. Note that USGS topographical maps show another, more prominently marked, "Michigan Bar" a few miles west in Sacramento County.
  • A California Highways and Public Works article (unsure of exact citation but it may be the article on the history of California bridges that appeared in the 1941 June issue and was reprinted in the 1950 September/October issue) says "there were four [suspension bridges] on the Cosumnes River, one of which (Lamb's Bridge on the Latrobe-Plymouth Road) killed one man and seven horses when it fell in 1869."
  • The October 14, 1976 edition of The Mountain Democrat Times (Placerville, California) has an article about the nearby Huse Bridge (from the Heritage Association of El Dorado) which mentions Lamb's Bridge: "...Lamb's Bridge, several miles downriver, was reconstructed in 1872 and was also a wire bridge of the same type [as Huse's]."
  • The Statutes of California passed at the Fourteenth Session of the Legislature, 1863 records: "Chapter XLI. An Act to grant to Larkin Lamb and his Associates the right to construct and maintain a Toll Bridge across the Cosumnes River, in the Counties of Amador and El Dorado. Approved March 6, 1863. The People of the State of California, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows: Section 1. Larkin Lamb, and those he may associate with him, their heirs and assigns, shall have full power to build, erect, construct, and maintain a public toll bridge across the Cosumnes River, at a point about eighty (80) rods below Dutch Hill;..."
  • A November 12, 2017 article in Ledger Dispatch (of Amador and Calaveras counties) titled "Vestiges of Amador-Communities Along the Cosumnes, Part VI: The Lower Reaches - Michigan Bar to Wisconsin Bar" by Deborah Coleen Cook gives a more complete history of Lamb's bridge citing the enactment (February 9, 1863) of the bill to permit construction, construction completing six months later, failure of one of the cables in 1869 under the weight of a large freight wagon, and another cable/anchorage failure in 1872 while the bridge was undergoing major repairs.
  • See 1852 Huse - Yeomet, California, USA.
  • See 1852 Wilson's - Cosumne, California, USA.
Photo by Stephen Porten Photo by Sheila Elworthy

1864: Franklin

Franklin, Pennsylvania, USA - Allegheny River
Bridgemeister ID:3186 (added 2019-11-09)
Year Completed:1864
Name:Franklin
Location:Franklin, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Allegheny River
Principals:John Murphy
References:AAJ
Status:Destroyed, 1870

Notes:

  • 1870: Cable ends caught fire precipitating collapse, killing two.

1865: Market Street

Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA - Susquehanna River
Bridgemeister ID:64 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1865
Name:Market Street
Location:Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Susquehanna River
Principals:Alfred P. Boller
References:AAJ, JFI186604
Use:Vehicular
Status:Destroyed, June 1, 1889
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:5
Main Spans:5 x 61 meters (200 feet)

Notes:

Stereoview, collection of David Denenberg

1866: (suspension bridge)

Nashville and Edgefield, Tennessee, USA - Cumberland River
Bridgemeister ID:1965 (added 2005-11-20)
Year Completed:1866
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Nashville and Edgefield, Tennessee, USA
Crossing:Cumberland River
References:AAJ
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed, 1884
Main Cables:Wire

Notes:


1867: (suspension bridge)

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA - Rio Grande
Bridgemeister ID:5559 (added 2020-12-18)
Year Completed:1867
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Crossing:Rio Grande
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire

Notes:

  • Likely completed 1867.

External Links:


1867: John A. Roebling

Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky, USA - Ohio River
Bridgemeister ID:65 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1867
Name:John A. Roebling
Also Known As:Cincinnati, Cincinnati and Covington
Location:Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky, USA
Crossing:Ohio River
Coordinates:N 39.09167 W 84.50833
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:John A. Roebling
References:BAAW, BC3, BOB, BPL, COB, EOV, HBE, LAB, LACE, ONF, PTS2, SJR, TOB
Use:Vehicular (two-lane), with walkway
Status:Closed, February, 2021 (last checked: 2021)
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:3
Main Span:1 x 322.2 meters (1,057 feet)
Side Spans:2

Notes:

External Links:

Photo by David Denenberg Photo by Wayne Grodkiewicz Photo by Patrick S. O'Donnell Photo by David Denenberg Photo by David Denenberg Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1867: Mosquito Road

Placerville, California, USA - South Fork American River
Bridgemeister ID:2323 (added 2007-05-06)
Year Completed:1867
Name:Mosquito Road
Location:Placerville, California, USA
Crossing:South Fork American River
Coordinates:N 38.775791 W 120.748441
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular
Status:Replaced
Main Cables:Wire

Notes:

  • The February 23, 1995 edition of the Mountain Democrat (Placerville, California) has an article about the Mosquito crossing that mentions: "According to the El Dorado County History of 1883 by Paolo Sioli, 'Mosquito is connected to Placerville by a good wagon-road and a suspension bridge across the South Fork of the American River, a trail is running in the direction of Kelsey, the township center... The original bridge was constructed in 1867, and according to Orval Beckett, as quoted in the booklet, Mosquito Memories, 'This original bridge had no banisters on the sides. It was a suspension cable with No. 9 telephone wires strung between the supports. When you drove onto the bridge, it would 'swing and sway' much like we have seen in the movies. When one end went down the other went up, etc. Imagine the thrill!'"
  • Replaced by 1939 Mosquito Road - Placerville, California, USA.

1867: Public Garden

Boston, Massachusetts, USA - Public Garden lagoon
Bridgemeister ID:245 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1867
Name:Public Garden
Location:Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Crossing:Public Garden lagoon
Coordinates:N 42.354119 W 71.069920
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:William Gibbons Preston, Clemens Herschel
References:HBE
Use:Footbridge
Status:In use (last checked: 2019)
Main Cables:Eyebar (iron)
Suspended Spans:3
Main Span:1
Side Spans:2

External Links:

Stereoview, collection of David Denenberg Photo by Wayne Grodkiewicz Photo by David Denenberg Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1868: (suspension bridge)

Afton, New York, USA - Susquehanna River
Bridgemeister ID:66 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1868
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Afton, New York, USA
Crossing:Susquehanna River
Principals:G. W. & J. V. V. Fishler, James Crowell
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 110.3 meters (362 feet)
Deck width:16 feet

Postcard, collection of David Denenberg

1868: Blue Lick Springs

Kentucky, USA - Licking River
Bridgemeister ID:2659 (added 2019-03-09)
Year Completed:1868
Name:Blue Lick Springs
Location:Kentucky, USA
Crossing:Licking River
Coordinates:N 38.422314 W 83.999076
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

  • 1897: Replaced by two-span truss bridge that is still (as of 2019) at the same location. The truss bridge was built between the main suspension bridge cables and, apparently, the suspension bridge remained standing for several years.

1868: Calloway's Ford

Elizabethtown vicinity, Hamilton County, Ohio, USA - Whitewater River
Bridgemeister ID:68 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1868
Name:Calloway's Ford
Also Known As:Whitewater, Harrison's
Location:Elizabethtown vicinity, Hamilton County, Ohio, USA
Crossing:Whitewater River
Coordinates:N 39.183116 W 84.792638
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:John Gray, Morse, Young
References:EOV
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed, 1920
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Main Span:1 x 144.8 meters (475 feet)
Deck width:22 feet

Notes:

  • This bridge was located where present-day Suspension Bridge Road crosses the Whitewater River next to I-275 and north of US50. According to information provided by Sharon Lutz from Marjorie Byrnside Burress, this bridge was renamed "Harrison's Suspension Bridge" in 1891. This should not be confused with the nearby suspension bridge at Harrison.
  • According to the information provided by Sharon Lutz from Marjorie Byrnside Burress, "Crossing this bridge was the main thoroughfare from Indiana into Ohio for many years (US 50 was not completed by then). [In 1920] it was decided that the Suspension Bridge had become obsolete and could no longer safely withstand the weight of vehicles. [On May 19, 1920] the cables were severed by means of an oxygen flame, the weight of the cables pulled down some towers. Other towers were weakened by dynamite at their bases and later they were pulled down by the weight of the cables severed at one end with an oxygen flame."
  • See 1873 Harrison - Harrison, Ohio and Dearborn County, Indiana, USA.
Postcard, collection of David Denenberg

1868: Carpenter's Point

Port Jervis, New Jersey, USA - Neversink River
Bridgemeister ID:2251 (added 2007-03-31)
Year Completed:1868
Name:Carpenter's Point
Location:Port Jervis, New Jersey, USA
Crossing:Neversink River
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Replaced, 1929
Main Cables:Wire
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

  • Was at location of current Tri-States Bridge.

1868: High Street

Hamilton, Ohio, USA - Great Miami River
Bridgemeister ID:67 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1868
Name:High Street
Also Known As:Hamilton
Location:Hamilton, Ohio, USA
Crossing:Great Miami River
Principals:John Gray
References:EOV
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire
Suspended Spans:1

External Links:


1868: Wire

New Portland, Maine, USA - Carrabasset River
Bridgemeister ID:69 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1868
Name:Wire
Location:New Portland, Maine, USA
Crossing:Carrabasset River
Coordinates:N 44.890783 W 70.0925
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
References:BC3, BPL, GBD, LAB, RDH
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:In use (last checked: 2023)
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 60.5 meters (198.4 feet)

Notes:

  • BPL says c. 1866. Historic landmark plaque at bridge also says 1866.
  • Extensive repairs, 1960.

External Links:

Photo by David Denenberg Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1869: (footbridge)

Salado, Texas, USA - Salado Creek
Bridgemeister ID:920 (added 2003-10-18)
Year Completed:1869
Name:(footbridge)
Location:Salado, Texas, USA
Crossing:Salado Creek
At or Near Feature:Salado College
Use:Footbridge
Status:Destroyed, 1913
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

Notes:

  • Destroyed by flood, 1913.

1869: Clifton

Niagara Falls, New York, USA and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada - Niagara River
Bridgemeister ID:70 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1869
Name:Clifton
Also Known As:Niagara-Clifton, Falls View, First Falls View
Location:Niagara Falls, New York, USA and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Crossing:Niagara River
Principals:Samuel Keefer
References:AAJ, BPL, HBE, PTS2
Use:Vehicular
Status:Replaced, 1889
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Main Span:1 x 386.6 meters (1,268.3 feet)
Deck width:10 feet

Notes:

External Links:

Stereoview, collection of David Denenberg Stereoview, collection of David Denenberg Stereoview, collection of David Denenberg

1869: Lordville

Lordville, New York and Equinunk, Pennsylvania, USA - Delaware River
Bridgemeister ID:71 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1869
Name:Lordville
Location:Lordville, New York and Equinunk, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Delaware River
Coordinates:N 41.867938 W 75.213785
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:E.F. Farrington
References:BDR, BOL, PTS2
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Destroyed, 1903
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

Notes:

Postcard, collection of David Denenberg

1869: Swinging

Warren and Glade, Pennsylvania, USA - Conewango Creek
Bridgemeister ID:1623 (added 2005-02-27)
Year Completed:1869
Name:Swinging
Location:Warren and Glade, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Conewango Creek
Coordinates:N 41.847389 W 79.141000
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Footbridge
Status:Replaced, 1904
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

Notes:

  • Coordinates indicate approximate original location of the bridge.
  • Destroyed by storm soon after completion and rebuilt.
  • Images of America: Warren by Jodi L. Brandon shows an image of this bridge with a caption stating the bridge was moved to Kelletville (in Forest County, Pennsylvania) in 1906.
Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1869: Waco

Waco, Texas, USA - Brazos River
Bridgemeister ID:72 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1869
Name:Waco
Location:Waco, Texas, USA
Crossing:Brazos River
Coordinates:N 31.561314 W 97.127063
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Thomas M. Griffith
References:AAJ, BC3, BPL, BRAZ, GBD, HAERTX98, HBE, PTS2, WSB
Use:Vehicular, with walkway
Status:Restricted to foot traffic (last checked: 2023)
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 144.8 meters (475 feet)
Deck width:18 feet

Notes:

  • 1915: Rebuilt.
  • 2020, October: Closed for restoration project expecting to last 18-24 months.
  • 2021, March: Major restoration project underway, led by Sparks Engineering, Inc.
  • 2023, April: The restored bridge is rededicated on April 22. Patrick Sparks of Sparks Engineering reports: . The rededication was held April 22, 2023. "The project involved full rehabilitation including: replacement of the suspension system and anchor rods, strengthening of the anchorages, replacement of the saddle bearings, retrofit strengthening of the east tower, and deck replacement (concrete on the main deck, tropical hardwood on the side walks)."

External Links:

Photo by Carla Pendergraft Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle Photo courtesy of Sparks Engineering, Inc.

1870: (footbridge)

Rockford, Illinois, USA - Kent Creek
Bridgemeister ID:594 (added 2003-01-11)
Year Completed:1870
Name:(footbridge)
Location:Rockford, Illinois, USA
Crossing:Kent Creek
At or Near Feature:Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum
Principals:Robert Tinker
Use:Footbridge
Status:Removed, 1976

Notes:


1870: Big Flats

Big Flats, New York, USA
Bridgemeister ID:73 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1870
Name:Big Flats
Location:Big Flats, New York, USA
Status:Replaced, 1905
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

1870: Chehocton

Hancock, New York and Wayne County, Pennsylvania, USA - Delaware River
Bridgemeister ID:284 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1870
Name:Chehocton
Location:Hancock, New York and Wayne County, Pennsylvania, USA
Crossing:Delaware River
Principals:E.F. Farrington, John A. Roebling's Sons Co.
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed, 1937
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 144.8 meters (475 feet) estimated

Notes:

  • Replaced 1937.
Postcard, collection of David Denenberg Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1870: Finck's

Little Falls, New York, USA - Mohawk River
Bridgemeister ID:328 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1870
Name:Finck's
Also Known As:Fink's
Location:Little Falls, New York, USA
Crossing:Mohawk River
Coordinates:N 43.034102 W 74.830185
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
References:ONC
Use:Vehicular
Status:Destroyed, 1917
Main Cables:Wire

Notes:

  • Heavily damaged by fire, 1917.
  • Coordinates reflect where modern Fincks Basin Road meets the Mohawk River, likely approximate location of this bridge.
Postcard, collection of David Denenberg


Do you have any information or photos for these bridges that you would like to share? Please email david.denenberg@bridgemeister.com.


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