Blakeman Bridge
Also known as: Bridge Number 3133
Why it's listed
Blakeman Bridge carries a road across the Embarras River southeast of Charleston, Illinois. Built in 1907 by the Mercantile Bridge Company of Paris, Illinois, it is a triple-arch bridge of earth-filled, steel-reinforced concrete, 257 feet long with an 18-foot-6-inch roadway. It replaced an earlier iron through-truss. The crossing is one of the oldest in Coles County and lies at the site of the county's first settlement, where Benjamin Parker started a mill in the 1830s and Eben Blakeman later ran a saw and grist mill. The bridge is one of only four earth-filled, steel-reinforced concrete arch bridges in the twelve-county IDOT District 5. It reflects a period when builders were still experimenting with metal reinforcement, at a time when plain, heavy Roman-style concrete bridges were more common. Repairs in 1980 added a concrete surface and steel rods to stabilize the spandrel walls.
Significance in brief: It is one of only four earth-filled, steel-reinforced concrete arch bridges in the 12-county IDOT District 5. It represents the era of experimentation with reinforced concrete construction and sits at one of the oldest river crossings and the site of the county's first settlement and mill.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 81000212, listed November 30, 1981. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | SE of Charleston, Charleston |
|---|---|
| County | Coles County |
| Listed | November 30, 1981 |
| Reference number | 81000212 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | Mercantile Bridge Company, Paris, Illinois |
| Architectural style | Triple arch, concrete, earth-filled |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Repaired in 1980 with a new precast concrete surface, reinforcing rods and repaired railings; used as a detour during Route 130 bridge replacement, with a recommended load limit of 27 tons. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.44960, -88.15020 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 81000212.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15637969
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.