Indian Ford Bridge
Why it's listed
Indian Ford Bridge is a steel Pratt through truss that carries County Highway 20 over the Spoon River, about one and a half miles southwest of London Mills in Fulton County, Illinois. Built around 1917, it has a single span with a bottom chord length of 140 feet and a top chord length of 100 feet. Its height is 23 feet and its roadway width is 17 feet. The truss members are rivet connected, and the structure rests on concrete abutments with a concrete deck. The bridge was documented in a 1979 survey of metal highway bridges by the Illinois Department of Conservation, and it was listed in 1980 as part of the Metal Highway Bridges of Fulton County thematic group. The form rates its significance at the state level. The surviving paperwork consists mostly of an inventory of dimensions and materials, so it gives little detail about the bridge's builder or its local history.
Significance in brief: The bridge was nominated as part of a thematic group of metal highway bridges in Fulton County. The form evaluates its significance at the state level. It records the bridge as a surviving example of an early twentieth-century steel truss, but gives no extended statement of significance.
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 80001357, listed October 29, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence low).
Key facts
| Address | SR 20, London Mills |
|---|---|
| County | Fulton County |
| Listed | October 29, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80001357 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architectural style | Pratt through truss |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.69035, -90.29010 (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 80001357.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6020322
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.