{"nrhp_refnum":"88000849","name":"Bridge in West Fallowfield Township","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Ross Fording Rd. over Octoraro Creek","address_restricted":false,"city":"Steelville","county":"Chester County","state":"PA","lat":39.88281282200006,"lon":-75.99161817199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-06-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A moderate span Pratt pony truss highway bridge carrying Ross Fording Road over Octoraro Creek in West Fallowfield Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, on the Chester/Lancaster county line. The bridge plate on the upper chord reads \"Phoenixville 1885\".","why_significant":"The nomination describes the bridge as a typical example, though a rare survivor, of a standardized Phoenix Bridge Company low truss highway bridge. It is one of two of seven Pratt pony truss bridges in the group that were built with Phoenix column compression members, a patented column associated with the Phoenix Bridge Company of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The significance is argued under engineering.","narrative":"A moderate span Pratt pony truss bridge crosses Octoraro Creek on Ross Fording Road in rural West Fallowfield Township, Chester County, near the Chester and Lancaster county line. Built in 1885, as its plate on the upper chord records, it has an 84.5-foot main span with metal superstructure and a wood deck, and its compression members are Phoenix columns. The bridge was fabricated by the Phoenix Bridge Company of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, a firm of national importance in iron and steel construction. It is a representative example of the company's standardized low truss highway bridge design and is considered a rare survivor of that type. Of seven Pratt pony truss bridges included in the group, two use Phoenix column members, and this structure is recognized for its engineering significance. The nominated property covers the superstructure and substructure within the wing walls, under an acre in area.","period_of_significance":"1885","architect_builder":"Designer/Engineer: Unknown; Builder/Contractor: James Denithorne; Bridge Company: Phoenix Steel","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:37.833409-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/88000849.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000849/e92b0a98f7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000849/e92b0a98f7-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Fallowfield_Bridge.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Fallowfield_Bridge.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71992672","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_in_West_Fallowfield_Township","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4966388"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/chester-county/bridge-in-west-fallowfield-township-88000849/"}