Mill Road Bowstring Bridge
Why it's listed
Spanning Wakatomika Creek on a dirt road in hilly farmland near Bladensburg, this iron bowstring arch-truss bridge is about seventy-five feet long with a sixteen-foot roadway. Two hollow arched tubes, each made of four iron plates, carry the load and bear the Phoenix Iron Co. name and an 1862 patent date. The bridge rests on rock-faced sandstone piers and was built around 1876 by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, a firm that became one of the nation's leading metal bridge fabricators. The bowstring arch-truss was first patented by Squire Whipple in 1841, and the type was later displaced by stronger box trusses, steel and reinforced concrete. It was listed because it is a rare survivor of that type in Ohio. The mill and settlement that once surrounded the crossing have faded, which helped preserve the bridge. It is now closed to traffic, with a deteriorated deck, but the structure remains unaltered.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a rare surviving metal bowstring arch-truss, a type that marks an important segment of engineering history. It was built by a leading bridge company using patented compression tubes from the Phoenix Iron Company. The decline of the former mill settlement left it among the few such bridges surviving in Ohio.
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 79001869, listed December 5, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Mill Rd, Bladensburg |
|---|---|
| County | Knox County |
| Listed | December 5, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001869 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | c. 1876 |
| Architect / builder | Wrought Iron Bridge Co., Canton |
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed to vehicular traffic and in poor condition; much of the wood deck is missing or badly deteriorated and the iron frame is rusting, but the structure appears intact and unaltered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.27645, -82.27254 (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 79001869.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q122229602
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.