{"nrhp_refnum":"00000112","name":"Coleman Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Windsor Bush Rd. over Phelps Brook","address_restricted":false,"city":"Windosor","county":"Berkshire County","state":"MA","lat":42.53241608700006,"lon":-72.99290858499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-02-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 31-foot Ball-patent steel pipe pony truss bridge built about 1894 over Phelps Brook on an abandoned section of Windsor Bush Road in Windsor, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, within Windsor State Forest.","why_significant":"It is the last intact example in Massachusetts of the pipe truss bridge patented by Windsor machinist Charles H. Ball. Its iron pipe top chords and sparing use of rods set it apart from other iron truss types of the period. It retains nearly all of its original materials and design features and sits in its original location. It is considered significant at the local level under criteria A and C.","narrative":"Coleman Bridge carries an abandoned stretch of Windsor Bush Road over Phelps Brook in the woods of Windsor State Forest, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Built about 1894, the 31-foot span is a pony truss made with iron pipe top chords, a design patented in 1893 by local machinist and entrepreneur Charles H. Ball. Ball aimed to offer farm towns an iron bridge that cost little more than a wooden one, and he avoided riveting to save labor. The bridge is the last intact example of his design in Massachusetts, since two others were dismantled and put into storage. It keeps nearly all of its original materials, though the wood stringers and plank deck were replaced and the log abutments were rebuilt in concrete. The farming community of Windsor Bush that it once served has largely disappeared, and the crossing is now a trail. It was listed for its engineering and transportation importance and for its link to Ball's work.","period_of_significance":"c1894-1949","architect_builder":"Charles H. Ball, designer and patentee","architectural_style":"No style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Located on an abandoned section of road and used today as a recreational trail in a protected wilderness area. The deck and stringers have been replaced, and the abutments were rebuilt in concrete.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.166509-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/66/7943/63794366/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/00000112.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000112/a1fc537d80-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000112/a1fc537d80-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ColemanBridge1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ColemanBridge1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794366","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleman_Bridge_(Windsor,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5142985"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/berkshire-county/coleman-bridge-00000112/"}