Vesuvius Furnace-Stone Bridge (Boundary Decrease)
Why it's listed
A small stone-faced bridge carries a road over Storms Creek in the Vesuvius Recreation Area near Ironton, Ohio. The WPA built it in 1940 with Lawrence County and the U.S. Forest Service, using two corrugated metal arches topped with concrete and faced in sandstone and mortar for appearance. It measures 52 feet long and 22 feet wide. The Ohio Department of Transportation widened and refaced it in 1990, removing an original ledge. The bridge was valued as an unusual Depression-era public works project that used stone decoratively rather than structurally, and it provided jobs for unemployed Ohio workers. It was earlier included in the boundary of the Vesuvius Iron Furnace, though it was built 36 years after the furnace stopped operating and has no thematic link to it. A July 2010 flood eroded a footer and collapsed the western side, leaving damage that cannot be repaired. Its boundary was therefore reduced to exclude the bridge and an access road.
Significance in brief: The bridge was considered an unusual example of Depression-era public works construction, with a purely decorative use of stone. It was previously included within the Vesuvius Furnace boundary, but it is thematically unrelated to the furnace. Flood damage in 2010 destroyed its integrity, so the form requests removing it from the boundary.
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 11000671, listed September 15, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Vesuvius Recreation Area off OH 93, Ironton |
|---|---|
| County | Lawrence County |
| Listed | September 15, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000671 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1940 |
| Architect / builder | WPA |
| Architectural style | No specific architectural or engineering style (classified as OTHER) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Flooding in July 2010 undermined the northwest footer and collapsed the western side; the bridge continues to sink and is described as beyond repair. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 38.60477, -82.63073 (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 11000671.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.