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Beatty Mills Bridge

Beatty Mills Bridge

Primary Photographer(s): Nathan Holth

Bridge Documented: July 2, 2006

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Facility Carried / Feature Intersected
Beatty Mill Road (TR-659) Over Buffalo Creek
Location
Rural: Armstrong County, Pennsylvania: United States
Construction Date and Builder / Engineer
By Builder/Contractor: Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio
Rehabilitation Date
1991
Main Span Length
84.0 Feet (25.6 Meters)
Structure Length
86.0 Feet (26.2 Meters)
Roadway Width
14 Feet (4.27 Meters)
Spans
1 Main Span(s)
Inventory Number
3721506590002

Historic Significance Rating (HSR)
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Bridge Documentation

This bridge is in storage!

Bridge Status: This historic bridge is in storage and private ownership and may be rehabilitated and re-erected at a new location.

View Archived National Bridge Inventory Report - Has Additional Details and Evaluation

This bridge is an excellent example of the Wrought Iron Bridge Company's design for a bowstring truss bridge. Although no specific construction date could be located, truss bridges of this design generally date to the 1870s. A ca. 1875 date seems appropriate. Typical of the Wrought Iron Bridge Company, this bowstring features Keystone style columns for a top chord. Star-iron "cruciform" members are present on the bridge, and the bridge has a latticed design for the verticals/outriggers.

The bridge was replaced in 2008, and thanks to efforts from the county, the historic bridge was placed in storage for rehabilitation and re-erection at an undetermined location. In August 2010, HistoricBridges.org inquired as to the status of the project, and the county responded with the following update:

The recently replaced 1876 Beatty's Mill Bridge, an 86-foot wrought iron pony bow-truss structure was dismantled and transported to the county's facility at Armsdale outside Kittanning.  The parapets retained their tension.  The parts will be tested for metal fatigue with anticipation of reuse as either a 3-ton highway or pedestrian bridge.  The most logical site is located in Rayburn Township over Cowanshannock Creek at a location near "Buttermilk Falls".  It would replace a closed 90-foot bridge structure that needs to be dismantled.  Obviously, the site would have to be retrofitted for the difference in length.  Once we determine tensile strength, we can determine type of use.  We will also use a crew from our county jail to scrape and renovate the painting of all the parts of this bridge.  The "plus" on this item is the fact that it will not be over water and therefore easier to do. 

As of 2019, this plan fell apart, and the bridge is now in ownership of a private individual in New Jersey whose intents and plans for preservation remain unclear and uncertain.

Information and Findings From Pennsylvania's Historic Bridge Inventory

Discussion of Bridge

The ca. 1875, 86'-long bowstring pony truss bridge is supported on ashlar abutments with wingwalls. The bridge was rehabilitated in 1991 when two verticals were replaced. The bridge is a remarkably complete and important example of an early metal truss bridge, and it is historically and technologically significant. It has all of the features described in Wrought Iron Bridge Company's 1874 catalogue for a column iron arch bridge.

Discussion of Surrounding Area

The bridge carries 1 lane of TR 659, an unimproved township road, over a stream in a rural area of active farms at the Y intersection with TR 625.

Bridge Considered Historic By Survey: Yes


This bridge is tagged with the following special condition(s): Keystone Columns

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Photo Galleries and Videos: Beatty Mills Bridge

 

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Maps and Links: Beatty Mills Bridge

Coordinates (Latitude, Longitude):

Search For Additional Bridge Listings:

Bridgehunter.com: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

Bridgehunter.com: View listed bridges within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of this bridge.

HistoricBridges.org Bridge Browser: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

HistoricBridges.org Bridge Browser: View listed bridges within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of this bridge.

2021 National Bridge Inventory: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

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