{"nrhp_refnum":"11000346","name":"Deweyville Swing Bridge","other_names":["Sabine River Bridge","National Bridge Inventory Structure # 2017600499901001"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"TX 12 & LA 12 at Sabine R.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Deweyville","county":"Newton County","state":"TX","lat":30.30581731600006,"lon":-93.74331833099995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2011-06-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A five-span combined concrete girder and steel center-bearing swing bridge carrying State Highway 12 over the Sabine River between Deweyville, Newton County, Texas, and Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, built 1936-1938 by Forcum-James to Louisiana Highway Commission designs.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the bridge is the oldest and longest swing bridge of its type in Texas and a good representative of Depression-era bridge construction, built with federal relief funds as part of a bi-state program. It is also linked to transportation history as a crossing on the Evangeline Highway, an early named road of the Good Roads Movement.","narrative":"Spanning the Sabine River between Deweyville, Texas, and Starks, Louisiana, this 327-foot bridge carries State Highway 12 across the state line. Built from 1936 to 1938 to replace a long-running ferry, it combines reinforced concrete approach spans with a 160-foot riveted steel plate girder swing span that pivots on a center pier. The Louisiana Highway Commission designed it and Forcum-James of Baton Rouge built it, using federal relief money during the Depression. The span was hand-operated with a large T wrench and was last opened in 1995. It is recognized as the oldest movable highway bridge in Texas and the oldest and longest of its swing-bridge type in the state. It also served as a link on the Evangeline Highway, an early named road promoted by the Good Roads Movement. Few changes have been made since construction, so the bridge retains its original form, materials and setting.","period_of_significance":"1936-1938","architect_builder":"Forcum-James Company, Baton Rouge, LA","architectural_style":"OTHER: concrete girder and steel girder swing bridge","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a bridge; it has not opened since 1995 and the turning mechanism remains intact and operable, with traffic gates removed and some damage to concrete panels.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.765388-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/2/9699/40969902/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/11000346.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000346/29c83eb70c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000346/29c83eb70c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"Patrick Feller","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deweyville_Swing_Bridge_1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Patrick Feller</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deweyville_Swing_Bridge_1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40969902","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deweyville_Swing_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16960428"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/newton-county/deweyville-swing-bridge-11000346/"}