Stillwater Bridge
Why it's listed
Dam Road crosses the Salmon River in the Town of Orwell, Oswego County, on a two-span steel Pratt through truss bridge built in 1913. Each span is 125 feet long and 14 feet wide, with riveted, pin-connected trusses resting on poured concrete abutments and a midstream pier. The deck is wood planking under a thin asphalt layer, and the original pipe railings survive. The bridge was built during the Salmon River Power Company's hydroelectric development of 1912 to 1914, when roads flooded by the new reservoir had to be relocated. Erie Construction Company of Buffalo erected it for $6,400, using parts made by the Penn Bridge Company of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. It was recognized for its engineering as a late but highly representative example of steel truss highway bridge technology, typical of hundreds built in upstate New York and now increasingly rare. Apart from possibly renewed decking, it remains unaltered in its rural setting. The road across it is closed to traffic.
Significance in brief: The bridge is significant under Criterion C as an intact, representative example of early twentieth century highway bridge engineering in rural Oswego County. It is one of a shrinking number of surviving bridges of this type and period in its region. It has also kept an unusually high degree of integrity and its unaltered rural setting.
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 97001385, listed November 7, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Dam Rd. over Salmon R., Stillwater |
|---|---|
| County | Oswego County |
| Listed | November 7, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97001385 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1913 |
| Architect / builder | Penn Bridge Co., Beaver Falls, PA, manufacturer; Erie Construction Co., Buffalo, NY, contractor |
| Architectural style | Pratt through truss |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed to vehicle traffic; listed as vacant/not in use as its current function, with foot traffic only. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.54478, -75.92179 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 97001385.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7617280
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.