{"nrhp_refnum":"79003006","name":"Fort Griffin Brazos River Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"site","location":{"address":"NE of Fort Griffin","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fort Griffin","county":"Shackelford County","state":"TX","lat":32.93472871300003,"lon":-99.22432218999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-10-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An iron truss bridge carrying a county road over the Clear Fork of the Brazos River one-half mile northeast of Fort Griffin, Shackelford County, Texas, built in 1885 by the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company of Cleveland, Ohio.","why_significant":"The bridge is presented as an excellent example of late nineteenth-century bridge building and the work of one of the most prolific bridge manufacturers in the United States. It is the oldest functioning bridge in Shackelford County and has served as a transportation facility for nearly a century. Its truss, masonry piers, wooden deck and tubular handrails also provide a unifying element in the historic setting of Fort Griffin.","narrative":"Crossing the Clear Fork of the Brazos River half a mile northeast of Fort Griffin, this 226-foot bridge was built in 1885 by the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company of Cleveland, Ohio. It combines a 110-foot pin-connected Pratt through truss with plate girder approaches on each side, resting on 20-foot rock-faced limestone piers. The deck is made of wooden planks with steel runners, and the railings are made of pipe. Shackelford County commissioners compared bids from several firms before awarding the company an $8,050 contract in June 1885. A dispute over pier construction was settled when the builder posted an additional bond guaranteeing the work for two years. Repairs were made in the first decade, but no major alterations are recorded. The bridge remains in use for local traffic, with trucks prohibited. It is the oldest functioning bridge in the county, an example of period engineering by a prolific manufacturer, and a long-serving link in the Fort Griffin area.","period_of_significance":"1885","architect_builder":"King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Co.","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Still carries local vehicular traffic; trucks are prohibited. Condition listed as good, with no significant alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.898911-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/29/9733/40973329/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/79003006.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003006/d68c7b2094-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003006/d68c7b2094-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Elliott, Joseph E.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BARREL_VIEW_FROM_APPROACH_SPAN,_FROM_W._-_Fort_Griffin_Iron_Truss_Bridge,_Spanning_Clear_Fork_of_Brazos_River_at_County_Route_188,_Fort_Griffin,_Shackelford_County,_TX_HAER_TX,209-FOGRIF.V,1-3.tif\" rel=\"noopener\">Elliott, Joseph E.</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BARREL_VIEW_FROM_APPROACH_SPAN,_FROM_W._-_Fort_Griffin_Iron_Truss_Bridge,_Spanning_Clear_Fork_of_Brazos_River_at_County_Route_188,_Fort_Griffin,_Shackelford_County,_TX_HAER_TX,209-FOGRIF.V,1-3.tif"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973329","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107319236"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/shackelford-county/fort-griffin-brazos-river-bridge-79003006/"}