{"nrhp_refnum":"80001355","name":"Babylon Bend Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"SR 123","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ellisville","county":"Fulton County","state":"IL","lat":40.58495594000004,"lon":-90.34811428199998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-10-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-span steel Pratt through truss bridge, built about 1890, carrying Township Road 123 over the Spoon River at Babylon in Lee Township, near Ellisville, Fulton County, Illinois.","why_significant":"It is one of a thematic group of surviving metal highway truss bridges in Fulton County dating from 1883 to 1915. The group reflects improvements in highway transportation as iron bridges were replaced by up-to-date steel trusses. It also shows variations in steel bridge construction, specifically Pratt and Parker through trusses, over a period of about 35 years.","narrative":"Babylon Bend Bridge is a steel Pratt through truss spanning the Spoon River at Babylon, in Lee Township near Ellisville, Fulton County, Illinois. Built around 1890, it carries Township Road 123 on a single span. The bridge is pin connected, with double eyebars forming the diagonals and bottom chord, a wooden deck, and concrete-faced stone abutments. Its bottom chord measures about 203 feet in length. It was listed as part of a thematic group of metal highway bridges in Fulton County, which together represent surviving truss bridges built between 1883 and 1915. The group illustrates how the county's road system improved as ferries and older iron bridges gave way to modern steel trusses, and it shows changes in steel bridge construction, including Pratt and Parker through trusses, across about 35 years. Reviewers found the bridges largely unaltered and in good condition, although replacement plans for some were mentioned.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Pratt through truss","criteria":[],"status_note":"The thematic review notes the surviving bridges are largely unaltered and in good condition, though plans exist to replace some to meet modern traffic and weight demands.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.525111-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/38/8911/28891138/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/80001355.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001355/54b22da8be-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001355/54b22da8be-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Jim Roberts","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Babylon_Bend_Bridge.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jim Roberts</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Babylon_Bend_Bridge.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891138","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_Bend_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4838507"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/fulton-county/babylon-bend-bridge-80001355/"}