James Barney Marsh
Encyclopedia
Merton (town), Wisconsin
Merton is a town in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,988 at the 2000 census. The Village of Merton is located partially within the town. To local residents, the town of Merton is not called Merton, but is rather split up into the smaller unincorporated communities of...
. He was a graduate of Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
in Ames
Ames, Iowa
Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...
.
He is known for reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
arch bridge
Arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side...
s, which he holds a 1911 patent for, throughout the United States. An example is the Cotter Bridge
Cotter Bridge
The Cotter Bridge, also known as the R.M. Ruthven Bridge and the White River Concrete Arch Bridge, carries the business route of U.S. Route 62 across the White River west of the city of Cotter in Baxter County, Arkansas, USA. Upon completion, the bridge allowed access to a part of The Ozarks...
in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. The Big Creek Bridge in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
is similar in design. Several of these bridges remain and are listed in 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...
.
Hundreds of Marsh "Rainbow" bridges were constructed in the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s because of their popular design and appearance.
Marsh is buried in Glendale Cemetery, Des Moines
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, Polk County, Iowa
Polk County, Iowa
Polk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 430,640 in the 2010 census, an increase from 374,601 in the 2000 census. The county seat is Des Moines, which is also the capital city of Iowa...
with members of his family.
Further reading
- John Mack Bridge – James B Marsh bio included
- Valley City Times Record – Article containing bio info
- James Barney Marsh II narrative
External links
- Cotter Bridge – Six-span rainbow arch bridge