{"nrhp_refnum":"75000660","name":"Oquawka Wagon Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"2.5 mi. S of Oquawka over Henderson Creek","address_restricted":false,"city":"Oquawka","county":"Henderson County","state":"IL","lat":40.89416737500005,"lon":-90.94929369499994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-02-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A covered Burr arch truss wagon bridge over Henderson Creek, about 2.5 miles south of Oquawka in Henderson County, Illinois, built in 1866 by Henderson County.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the bridge is significant for transportation and architecture. It is one of eight remaining covered bridges in Illinois and looks virtually as it did when built. It served the community for about 68 years before the road was relocated.","narrative":"A covered wooden bridge spans Henderson Creek about 2.5 miles south of Oquawka, Illinois. Henderson County built it in 1866, hiring Jacob Allaman for the timber work at $2,125 and Frisby Sloan for the stone abutments. It replaced an earlier span known as the Eames Bridge, on land claimed by early settler James Ryason. The single span is a Burr arch truss about 104 feet long and 16 feet wide, made of hand-hewn native timber with horizontal wood siding and a wood shake roof. Repairs have been limited mainly to painting, siding and roof replacement, and one lower chord was reinforced with steel channels. After roughly 68 years of service, the bridge was given to the State of Illinois in 1935 when the road was moved and a new bridge was built 300 feet downstream. The state then bought 15.7 acres around it for a picnic area. It is one of only eight covered bridges remaining in Illinois.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (built 1866)","architect_builder":"Jacob Allaman (wood portion); Frisby Sloan (stone masonry abutments)","architectural_style":"Covered Burr arch truss bridge","criteria":[],"status_note":"Closed to traffic in 1935 and now in a state-owned picnic area restricted to pedestrians; in good condition with a broken diagonal member, some broken siding and a wood shake roof needing replacement.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:34.565699-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/68/8929/28892968/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/75000660.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75000660/9110ac158e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75000660/9110ac158e-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oquawka_Wagon_Bridge.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oquawka_Wagon_Bridge.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892968","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oquawka_Wagon_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7099157"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/henderson-county/oquawka-wagon-bridge-75000660/"}