Wrought Iron Bridge Company

The Wrought Iron Bridge Company specialized in relatively short-span iron truss bridges. Most were built for highway use, as the railroads were all privately owned at the time and employed their own engineers. The company supplied a catalog of bridge designs and mass-produced the parts to build these designs. Once a bridge was ordered, the pieces were shipped by train to the nearest station. Thus, local contractors were able to assemble a bridge very quickly, much like a model. 1882 pamphlet An illustrated pamphlet, dated 1882, is available online. In this pamphlet, Wrought Iron Bridge claims that "during the past 18 years this firm have erected nearly 4,300 spans, varying in length from 20 to 300 feet." At the time of publication, the company had worked in 26 US States, Canada and Mexico. Wrought Iron Bridge were able to assemble their bridges very quickly and the pamphlet claims that they "have completed 100 to 140 foot spans at points from 100 to 300 miles distant from our works in 8 to 15 days." They were not quite as fast on larger bridges, but the "350 foot bridge, 38 foot wide, built at New Philadelphia, Ohio, was completed for travel in 40 days from the receipt of the contract," a speed unheard of for modern construction, often because of legal red tape. ==Surviving bridges==

• Aetnaville Bridge, in Wheeling, West Virginia, 1891 • Bishop Road Bridge in Upper Allen Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania 1898 • Blackfriars Street Bridge, in London, Ontario, 1875 • Chain Lakes Bridge, near Palo, Iowa, 1884 • County Line Bowstring, near Concordia, Kansas, 1876 • Delhi Bridge, Scio Township, Michigan, 1883 • Dickey Bridge, in Orange County Indiana, Circa 1880 • East Mineral Road Bridge, Erving/Montague, Franklin County, Massachusetts, 1888 • Fourpoints Bridge, near Emmitsburg, Maryland, 1878? • Gholson Bridge, in Brunswick County, Virginia, 1884 • Hotel Bridge, Leeds, Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, 1880 • Howell Park Golf Course Bridge in Howell, New Jersey 1899 • Kern Bridge, in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, 1873 • Laughery Creek Bridge, in Dearborn County, Indiana, 1878 • Lawrence Bridge in Jackson Junction, Iowa, 1880 • Lattice Road Bridge, Hume, New York, 1887 • Linville Creek Bridge, in Broadway, Rockingham County, Virginia, 1898 • Maple/Foster Bridge, Barton Hills, Michigan, circa 1876 • Masemore Road Bridge, near Baltimore, Maryland, 1898 • Nevius Street Bridge, in Raritan/Hillsborough, New Jersey, 1886 • Old Mill Road truss bridge over the Wickecheoke Creek, Delaware Township, New Jersey, 1899 • Poffenberger Road Bridge, near Jefferson, Maryland, 1878 • Pott's Bridge, in Glasco, Kansas, 1884 • Rockafellows Mill Bridge, Rockefellows Mills, New Jersey, 1900 • Rome Westernville Road Bridge, Mohawk River, Rome, New York, 1884 • Rough Holler Bridge, near Hermitage, Missouri, 1891 • Springbanks (Renwick Road) Bridge, Plainfield, Illinois, built before 1901 • Strimple's Mill Road Bridge over Lockatong Creek, Delaware Township, New Jersey, 1897 • Tioga Bridge White / Carroll County, Indiana 1890 • Van Buren Bridge, in Freeport, Illinois, 1885 • Walnut River Bridge, near Douglass, Kansas in Butler County, Kansas, built before 1900 • Wells Street Bridge, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1884 • West Liberty Bridge CR-225, in Morrow County, Ohio, 1876 ==Gallery==

File:Wrought Iron Bridge Company.JPG|Sign, Wrought Iron Bridge Company File:Wrought Iron Bridge Company, Walnut River, near Douglass, Kansas.JPG| Walnut River bridge, near Douglass, Kansas File:Scio Township Delhi Bridge.JPG|Delhi Bridge, Scio Township, Michigan File:Maple-Foster Bridge Barton Hills Michigan.JPG|Maple/Foster Bridge, Barton Hills, Michigan File:Wells St Bridge 1.JPG|Wells Street Bridge, Fort Wayne, Indiana File:Walnutriverbridge.jpg|Walnut River Bridge, near Douglass Kansas File:Nevius Bridge Raritan NJ.jpg|Nevius Street Bridge, Raritan, New Jersey File:Rockafellows Mill Bridge, NJ - looking south.jpg|Rockafellows Mill Bridge, Rockefellows Mills, New Jersey File:Old Mill Road truss bridge over the Wickecheoke Creek, Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, NJ.jpg|Old Mill Road truss bridge over the Wickecheoke Creek, Delaware Township, New Jersey File:THROUGH VIEW, LOOKING EAST. - Lea Bridge, Spanning Candies Creek at Old Georgetown Road, Hopewell, Bradley County, TN HAER TENN,6-HOPE.V,1-9.tif|Lea Bridge, Candies Creek at Old Georgetown Road, Hopewell, Bradley County, Tennessee File:Linville Creek Bridge, Spanning Linville Creek at State Route 1421, Broadway vicinity (Rockingham County, Virginia).jpg|Linville Creek Bridge, Broadway, Virginia == Citations ==