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This is an exceedingly rare example of a bridge associated with famous engineer Wendel Bollman and it is also noted for cast iron elements. The bridge is owned by the Union Mills Homestead Foundation who recognizes its historic significance and is working to preserve it.
The Union Mills Homestead Foundation (www.unionmills.org) provided the following information:
The bridge at Union Mills was built in 1879 to carry Old Hanover Road over Big Pipe Creek. Robert M. Vogel, Curator of the Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering of the Smithsonian Institution, found the bridge in 1968 and corresponded with Prof. Frederic S. Klein, then the director of the Union Mills Homestead Foundation, and Carroll County officials, urging the bridge's preservation. In the 1980s, County officials moved the bridge to its present location for use as a footbridge. The current location is just a few hundred yards from the original location where the original abutments can still be seen. We currently have a project underway to assess the bridge as there is some damage to some of its components. The preservation team is reviewing the history of the bridge and will make some preservation recommendations. To assist in their investigation, the team has been reviewing historical records. The records include files from the Smithsonian’s archives, including Robert Vogel’s photographs and annotated field drawings from 1968.
This bridge is tagged with the following special condition(s): Unorganized Photos
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