Bardwell's Ferry Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Bardwell's Ferry Bridge, built in 1882, is an historic lenticular Truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
spanning the Deerfield River
Deerfield River
Deerfield River is a river that runs for from southern Vermont through northwestern Massachusetts to the Connecticut River. The Deerfield was historically influential in the settlement of western Franklin County, Massachusetts, and its namesake town...
between the towns of Shelburne
Shelburne, Massachusetts
Shelburne is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,058 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.The village of Shelburne Falls is located in the town.- History :...
and Conway
Conway, Massachusetts
Conway is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,809 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
in Franklin County, Massachusetts
Franklin County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 71,535 people, 29,466 households, and 18,416 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 31,939 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
General information
The Bardwell's Ferry Bridge carries Bardwell's Ferry Road across the Deerfield RiverDeerfield River
Deerfield River is a river that runs for from southern Vermont through northwestern Massachusetts to the Connecticut River. The Deerfield was historically influential in the settlement of western Franklin County, Massachusetts, and its namesake town...
. The bridge is situated within a deep valley, with sharply sloping roadways on each side.
Characteristics
Berlin Iron Bridge Co.
The Berlin Iron Bridge Co. is a company that built iron bridges and buildings that were supported by iron. It is credited as architect of numerous bridges and buildings now listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places...
of East Berlin, Connecticut
East Berlin, Connecticut
East Berlin is a section of the town of Berlin in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is the site of the Berlin Fair, an agricultural fair.-The Berlin Fair:...
, the bridge is 198 feet (60.4 m) long, consisting of 13 panels. It is the longest single span lenticular bridge in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
The end posts and upper chords are built-up open box members, consisting riveted plates and angles giving dimensions of 18 in. x 12 in. The lower chords are constructed from 1 in. x 3 in. eye bars. The bridge deck is 14 feet (4.3 m) wide and is constructed of wooden planks.
During the latter part of the 19th century, the Berlin Iron Bridge Co. of East Berlin, Connecticut
East Berlin, Connecticut
East Berlin is a section of the town of Berlin in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is the site of the Berlin Fair, an agricultural fair.-The Berlin Fair:...
manufactured and erected almost 800 lenticular truss bridges in the United States (Darnell 1979). While most of these bridges were built in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, a few were constructed in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. These bridges are sometimes referred to as "pumpkin-seed bridges", "cats-eyes bridges", "elliptical truss bridges", or "parabolic truss bridges" because of their unique lens shape. Lenticular bridges were only used for vehicular traffic and were generally considered too light to be used for railroad and trolley loads.
The Bardwell's Ferry Bridge was restored in the 1990s, and added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2000.