Metal Highway Bridges of Fulton County Thematic Resources
Encyclopedia
The Metal Highway Bridges of Fulton County Thematic Resources is the title for a Multiple Property Submission to the National Register of Historic Places
in the U.S. state of Illinois
. Originally the submission included nine separate bridge
s throughout Fulton County
; however, since the Metal Highway Bridges' inclusion on the Register in 1980, more than half of those bridges have been destroyed.
s impassable for the average car.
The original submission consisted of nine steel
truss highway bridges
in Fulton County, of nearly identical construction, spanning the Spoon River
. They were located in or near various communities, and were collectively admitted to the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1980.
The nine bridges included with the original listing are: Seville Bridge
, Bernadotte Bridge
, Buckeye Bridge
, London Mills Bridge
, Babylon Bend Bridge
, Elrod Bridge
, Duncan Mills Bridge
, Tartar's Ferry Bridge
and Indian Ford Bridge
. Of the nine, five have been destroyed since the listing on the Register in 1980. Four of the bridges – Tartar's Ferry, Bernadotte, Buckeye and Elrod – were located near Smithfield, Illinois
. Of those four, only the Tartar's Ferry Bridge and the Bernadotte Bridge remain. The Indian Ford Bridge and London Mills bridge were both located around London Mills, Illinois
; neither still stands. The other three bridges – Babylon Bend, Seville, and Duncan Mills – were located near Ellisville
, Seville
and Lewistown, Illinois
. Of those, only the Duncan Mills Bridge has been demolished.
The nine bridges that make up the Metal Highway Bridges of Fulton County were all constructed between c. 1880 and c. 1915. All nine bridges were and are located on county and township
roads in rural settings, and are all very similar in their construction materials and methods. They are early examples of steel truss bridges in Illinois.
s for the lower chord and for the diagonals. This is compared to the also destroyed Indian Ford Bridge, a Pratt bridge built in 1917, which used riveted connections and I-beam
construction for its lower chords and diagonals.
Each of the bridges utilized similar construction materials; each one is/was almost all steel, with the possible exception of the London Mills Bridge and the Seville Bridge. Those two bridges—only the Seville still stands—are mostly steel but may include some iron
construction due to their age. The bottom chords of the bridges range from 140 feet (42.7 m) to 200 feet (61 m) and the width averages 16 feet (4.9 m). In their massing, each bridge displays the lightness characteristic to metal bridges of the time period, although the later bridges began to exhibit characteristics more associated with modern steel truss bridges.
and road.
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 the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Originally the submission included nine separate bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s throughout Fulton County
Fulton County, Illinois
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 37,069, which is a decrease of 3.1% from 38,250 in 2000. Its county seat is Lewistown. Canton is the largest city. Both cities are southwest of Peoria, and the county is considered...
; however, since the Metal Highway Bridges' inclusion on the Register in 1980, more than half of those bridges have been destroyed.
Bridges
The nine bridges are all located in rural settings. Away from cities and towns, the bridges were all located along dirt roads, though they were still all accessible by automobile save one. Even so, they were really only accessible in dry weather as rain renders many Illinois dirt roadDirt road
Dirt road is a common term for an unpaved road made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material. Dirt roads are suitable for vehicles; a narrower path for pedestrians, animals, and possibly small vehicles would be called a...
s impassable for the average car.
The original submission consisted of nine steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
truss highway bridges
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...
in Fulton County, of nearly identical construction, spanning the Spoon River
Spoon River
The Spoon River is a tributary of the Illinois River in west-central Illinois in the United States. The river drains largely agricultural prairie country between Peoria and Galesburg...
. They were located in or near various communities, and were collectively admitted to the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1980.
The nine bridges included with the original listing are: Seville Bridge
Seville Bridge
The Seville Bridge is one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois that were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This particular one is located across the Spoon River in Seville. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1980, along with...
, Bernadotte Bridge
Bernadotte Bridge
The Bernadotte Bridge at Bernadotte, built in 1910, is one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This particular one along Illinois Route 2 as it passes in and around Smithfield, Illinois...
, Buckeye Bridge
Buckeye Bridge
Buckeye Bridge also known as White's Ferry Bridge was one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois once listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Buckeye is one of the five bridges that have been demolished out of nine similar bridges in the county. This particular one was...
, London Mills Bridge
London Mills Bridge
The London Mills Bridge was one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This particular one was located along Illinois Route 39 as it passes in and around London Mills...
, Babylon Bend Bridge
Babylon Bend Bridge
The Babylon Bend Bridge is one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois listed on the National Register of Historic Places and still standing. This bridge was built in 1890 over Spoon River and is located along Illinois Route 123 near Ellisville...
, Elrod Bridge
Elrod Bridge
Elrod Bridge was one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois once listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was listed from 1980 until 1995....
, Duncan Mills Bridge
Duncan Mills Bridge
The Duncan Mills Bridge was one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois nominated for the National Register of Historic Places. This particular one was located along west of Havana, Illinois near Lewistown...
, Tartar's Ferry Bridge
Tartar's Ferry Bridge
Tartar's Ferry Bridge was one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This particular one was over the Spoon River near Smithfield, Illinois. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1980, along with...
and Indian Ford Bridge
Indian Ford Bridge
The Indian Ford Bridge was one of nine metal highway bridges in Fulton County, Illinois listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This particular one was located along Illinois Route 20 as it passes in and around London Mills...
. Of the nine, five have been destroyed since the listing on the Register in 1980. Four of the bridges – Tartar's Ferry, Bernadotte, Buckeye and Elrod – were located near Smithfield, Illinois
Smithfield, Illinois
Smithfield is a village in Fulton County, Illinois, United States. The population was 214 at the 2000 census. The village is named in honor of Dr. Joseph N...
. Of those four, only the Tartar's Ferry Bridge and the Bernadotte Bridge remain. The Indian Ford Bridge and London Mills bridge were both located around London Mills, Illinois
London Mills, Illinois
London Mills is a village in Fulton and Knox counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 447 at the 2000 census.The Fulton County portion of London Mills is part of the Canton Micropolitan Statistical Area and the wider Peoria Consolidated Statistical Area, while the Knox County...
; neither still stands. The other three bridges – Babylon Bend, Seville, and Duncan Mills – were located near Ellisville
Ellisville, Illinois
Ellisville is a village in Fulton County, Illinois, United States. The population was 87 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ellisville is located at ....
, Seville
Seville, Illinois
Seville is an unincorporated community in Fulton County, Illinois, United States. Seville is located on Illinois Route 95 west of Smithfield....
and Lewistown, Illinois
Lewistown, Illinois
Lewistown is a city in Fulton County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,522 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Fulton County. Located in central Illinois, it is southwest of Peoria. It is the source of Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, who lived there...
. Of those, only the Duncan Mills Bridge has been demolished.
History
Civil township
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...
roads in rural settings, and are all very similar in their construction materials and methods. They are early examples of steel truss bridges in Illinois.
Construction
The bridges in Fulton County exhibit two types of steel truss bridge construction, Pratt bridge and Parker, which were the most common early types of steel truss bridges. Due to variation within each type of bridge, the collection in Fulton County offered a unique opportunity to view the evolution of late 19th and early 20th century steel truss bridge construction. For example, the now-demolished London Mills Bridge, a Pratt built in 1883, features pinned connection and double eyebarEyebar
In structural engineering and construction, an eyebar is a straight bar, usually of metal, with a hole at each end for fixing to other components...
s for the lower chord and for the diagonals. This is compared to the also destroyed Indian Ford Bridge, a Pratt bridge built in 1917, which used riveted connections and I-beam
I-beam
-beams, also known as H-beams, W-beams , rolled steel joist , or double-T are beams with an - or H-shaped cross-section. The horizontal elements of the "" are flanges, while the vertical element is the web...
construction for its lower chords and diagonals.
Each of the bridges utilized similar construction materials; each one is/was almost all steel, with the possible exception of the London Mills Bridge and the Seville Bridge. Those two bridges—only the Seville still stands—are mostly steel but may include some iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
construction due to their age. The bottom chords of the bridges range from 140 feet (42.7 m) to 200 feet (61 m) and the width averages 16 feet (4.9 m). In their massing, each bridge displays the lightness characteristic to metal bridges of the time period, although the later bridges began to exhibit characteristics more associated with modern steel truss bridges.
Destruction
The Elrod Bridge was completely destroyed by an F-4 tornado that moved through Fulton county during a 1995 tornado outbreak.Significance
Together, the nine steel truss bridges stood out because of their proximity to each other within Fulton County. Indeed, they also held historical significance for their age and as examples of early steel truss bridge construction; but it is rare to find such a concentrated collection of so clearly related sites. When they were nominated for the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, before some were destroyed, they were the subject of local tours by canoeCanoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
and road.