Town Line Bridge
Also known as: Taylor Lenticular Truss Bridge
Why it's listed
Town Line Road crosses the Otselic River near the hamlet of Taylor, in rural Cortland County, on an 85-foot iron bridge erected in 1888. The Berlin Iron Bridge Company of East Berlin, Connecticut, fabricated the span using the lenticular truss design patented by William O. Douglas of Binghamton. It rests on stone abutments and has a wood plank deck, last replaced in 1976. In 1903 a small pony truss span from the Groton Bridge Company was added on the east side to cross the spillway of a local sawmill. Built as a wagon bridge for a farming community, it has been closed to vehicles since about 1990 and now serves walkers, cyclists, and snowmobilers. The bridge was listed for its engineering and transportation importance and as a highly intact example of its type. It is one of only about 13 known lenticular spans remaining in New York State, and surviving early metal truss bridges are increasingly rare.
Significance in brief: The bridge is significant for engineering and transportation as a rare, substantially intact example of a small metal truss bridge by a prolific late nineteenth-century manufacturer. It uses the lenticular truss patented by William O. Douglas. It is one of only about 13 known surviving lenticular spans in New York State.
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 08000470, listed May 29, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Town Line Rd., Taylor |
|---|---|
| County | Cortland County |
| Listed | May 29, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000470 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1888-1957 |
| Architect / builder | Berlin (CT) Iron Bridge Company; Groton Bridge Company |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed to vehicular traffic since about 1990; now used by pedestrians, bicyclists, and snowmobilers. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.56800, -75.88232 (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 08000470.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7829988
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.