{"nrhp_refnum":"73000693","name":"General Dean Suspension Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"E of Carlyle over the Kaskaskia River","address_restricted":false,"city":"Carlyle","county":"Clinton County","state":"IL","lat":38.611159377000035,"lon":-89.35730387199999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-04-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A suspension bridge across the Kaskaskia River at Carlyle, Clinton County, Illinois, built in 1859 and opened to traffic in 1860. Griffith D. Smith of Pennsylvania held the construction contract.","why_significant":"The nomination calls the bridge a structure of great historical significance and architectural interest, and says it is the only structure of its kind in the state. It was selected by the Historic American Building Survey committee as worthy of careful preservation. It also carried traffic on the Vincennes to St. Louis Trail for decades.","narrative":"Spanning the Kaskaskia River at Carlyle, Illinois, this suspension bridge replaced an earlier ford and ferry crossing. Clinton County sought plans and bids, and the contract went to Griffith D. Smith of Pennsylvania. The design called for a 180-foot span between brick-capped stone towers 35 feet high, with stone abutments reaching at least fifteen feet below ground to anchor the cables. The cost was set at $45,000, local timber supplied the wood, and a St. Louis rope company made the cables. Opened in 1860, the bridge served travelers on the Vincennes to St. Louis Trail for sixty-six years. A restoration association formed in 1946, and the state legislature appropriated $20,000 in 1951. The restored bridge was dedicated on November 11, 1953, and renamed for Major General William F. Dean, a Carlyle resident. It was recorded by the Historic American Building Survey and is described as the only structure of its kind in Illinois.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1859)","architect_builder":"Griffith D. Smith of Pennsylvania (contractor); cables made by Alesghem & Sons Rope Company of St. Louis","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as fair and altered, on its original site. Restored and rededicated in 1953; the present use is checked as park.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.358777-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/84/8918/28891884/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/73000693.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000693/2cd2f33046-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000693/2cd2f33046-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:General_Dean_Suspension_Bridge.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:General_Dean_Suspension_Bridge.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891884","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dean_Suspension_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5531824"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/clinton-county/general-dean-suspension-bridge-73000693/"}