King Iron Bridge & Manufacturing Company
The King Iron Bridge & Manufacturing Company was an American bridge building company. It was based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and was founded by Zenas King in 1858. It was later managed by his sons, James A. King and Harry W. King, and then his grandson, Norman C. King, until the mid-1920s. Many of the bridges built by the company were used during America's expansion west in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and some of these bridges are still standing today.
Remaining examples
- Pyeatt's Mill Bridge AKA "Boner Bridge" (1869, Restored 2010), Little Pigeon River in Warrick County, Indiana. Listed to NRHP in 2022.[1][2]
- Crum Road Bridge (1875), Walkersville, Maryland
- Skunk River Bridge (1876), Story County, Iowa. Originally located over the Skunk River in Cambridge, Iowa, moved southeast of Ames, Iowa in 1916. Vacated in 1990, and NRHP-listed in 1998.[3]
- Marmaton Bridge (1878), Fort Scott, Kansas, 1 mile NE of Fort Scott, NRHP-listed[4]
- Bowstring Truss Bridge (1878), near Ironto, Virginia[5]
- Half Chance Iron Bridge (1880), Marengo County, Alabama
- Sparkill Creek Drawbridge (1880), Piermont, New York
- Adel Bridge (1882), Adel, Iowa. NRHP-listed in 2002[6]
- Bentonsport Bridge (1882), Bentonsport, Iowa, NRHP-listed
- Cartwright Creek Bridge (1884), also near Springfield, Kentucky, NRHP-listed
- Old Alton Bridge (1884), Denton County, Texas
- Quarry Bridge (1885), County Road I-4 over the Iowa River, Quarry, Iowa. NRHP-listed[7]
- Second Street Bridge (1886), Allegan, Michigan, NRHP-listed
- Monsrud Bridge (1887), Waterville, Iowa relocated to Yellow River State Forest in 2004, NRHP-listed[8]
- Merriam Street Bridge (1887), Minneapolis, Minnesota (originally built in 1887 as the Broadway Avenue Bridge, one span relocated to Nicollet Island in 1987)
- Swing Bridge at New Bridge Landing (1888), Main St. and Old New Bridge Rd. over Hackensack River, in Teaneck and River Edge, New Jersey NRHP-listed
- Old Richardsville Road Bridge (1889) Bowling Green, Kentucky over Barren River. Bridge is NRHP-listed.[9]
- Bennies Hill Road Bridge (1889), Frederick County, Maryland
- South Dakota Department of Transportation Bridge No. 14-088-170 (1890), Vermillion, South Dakota, local road over Clay Creek Ditch, NRHP-listed[10]
- Clear Creek Bridge (1891), Twp. Rd. over Clear Cr., 5.8 mi. NW of Bellwood, Bellwood, Nebraska NRHP-listed
- Waverly Street Bridge (1892), Waverly St. at Georges Creek, Westernport, Maryland. NRHP-listed
- Hogback Bridge (1893), Curwensville, Pennsylvania
- Singing Bridge (1894), Frankfort, Kentucky, also known as St. Clair Street Bridge[11][12]
- Ellsworth Ranch Bridge (1895), 130th St., over E fork of Des Moines R., Armstrong, Iowa NRHP-listed
- Rosendale trestle (1895–96), Rosendale, New York
- Dearborn River High Bridge (1897), 15 mi. SW of Augusta on Bean Lake Rd., Augusta, Montana NRHP-listed
- Manhasset Viaduct (1898), carries the Port Washington Branch of the Long Island Rail Road over Manhasset Bay between the Village of Thomaston and the Hamlet of Manhasset.[13]
- Niantic River Bridge (1907), New London County, Connecticut (1907, being replaced in 2010-2012), deemed NRHP-eligible in 1987 but not finally NRHP-listed due to owner objection
- Robidoux Creek Pratt Truss Bridge (1910), Frankfort, Kansas, on Sunflower Road over Robidoux Creek, NRHP-listed[14]
- Detroit-Superior Bridge (1918), Cleveland, Ohio
Additional bridges designed and/or built by the company (and many likely to be surviving) are:
- Abandoned Illinois Railway (IR) Through truss bridge over Rock River, Rockford, Illinois. Built 1890s, relocated to present location 1929.[15] Repurposed as a rail trail bridge in 2016.[16]
Hendricks Ford Bridge (1880) Edinburg, Indiana
Demolished bridges
- KY 2541 Bridge (1884), Greenup, Kentucky over Little Sandy River, NRHP-listed,[17] demolished 2012 and replaced
- Beech Fork Bridge, Mackville Road (1884), near Springfield, Kentucky, NRHP-listed, has been replaced.[18]
- Bridge over North Fork of Roanoke River (1892), near Ironto, Virginia, demolished 1995-1996
- Williams Street Bridge (1894), Helena, Montana, Williams St. crossing Ten Mile Creek, N of jct. of Williams St. and Broadwater Ave., NRHP-listed. Replaced by new bridge in 2010.
- South Dakota Dept. of Transportation Bridge No. 29-221-060 (1894), Castlewood, South Dakota, local road over the Big Sioux River, NRHP-listed,[19] demolished and replaced 1999
References
- ^ "Boner Bridge, Little Pigeon Creek, Warrick County, IN". Historic and Notable Bridges of the U.S. Bridgehunter. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Weekly Lists 2022" (PDF). National Park Service. p. 131. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
- ^ "Skunk River bridge". Historic Bridges of Iowa. Iowa Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
- ^ "National Register Information System – (#82002652)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ Antony F. Opperman (May 2008). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Bowstring Truss Bridge" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
- ^ Elizabeth Foster, Clayton Fraser. "Adel Bridge" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "Monsrud bridge". Iowa Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
- ^ "National Register Information System – (#80004496)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ "National Register Information System – (#99001689)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ "The Singing Bridge in Frankfort, Kentucky". King Bridge Company Museum. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
- ^ "Location and Geography". City of Frankfort. Archived from the original on August 26, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
- ^ "LIRR - Manhasset Viaduct". Bridgehunter.com. Archived from the original on 2021-03-05. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
- ^ "National Register Information System – (#03000474)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ "Rockford Rail-Trail Bridge". Bridgehunter.com. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ^ O'Brien, Eric. "Old, Unused Railroad Bridge Gets Re-Purposed As Pedestrian Bridge". www.wifr.com. Archived from the original on 2016-05-29. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
- ^ "National Register Information System – (#87002446)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ "Beech Fork Bridge - Mackville Road". Bridgehunter.com. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ "National Register Information System – (#93001291)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
External links
- King Bridge Museum
- The King Iron Bridge Co. at ClevelandMemory.org
- The King Iron Bridge Co. at the Cleveland Digital Library
- The King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Co. at the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
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