Faust Street Bridge
Also known as: Guadalupe River Bridge; Milltown Bridge; Mill Bridge (CMB-B005-30-001)
Why it's listed
Spanning the Guadalupe River in New Braunfels, this 640-foot wrought iron bridge links Faust and Porter Streets. Built in 1887 by the King Iron Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio, for Comal County, it has two 220-foot Murphy-Whipple truss spans flanked by two 100-foot Pratt truss approach spans, all resting on five limestone piers with pointed ends. It was the county's first high-water bridge and stands near an old Spanish colonial river crossing. The bridge carried traffic on the Austin-San Antonio Post Road, the Meridian Highway and State Highway 2 until a new concrete bridge took over in 1934, then served local traffic until a 1978 fire closed it. A restoration between 1993 and 1998 repaired the damage and converted it to pedestrian use, keeping most original material. It is considered significant for transportation history and as a rare, large surviving example of Whipple truss and wrought iron engineering in Texas.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the bridge is one of the earliest and largest surviving truss bridges in Texas and the longest, most complex pre-1890 truss still in its original location. It is also the only early multiple-span truss in the state still in place. Its Murphy-Whipple and Pratt trusses, wrought iron construction and limestone piers make it rare, and it served as a key link on the Austin-San Antonio road and later State Highway 2.
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 09000138, listed March 17, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Connecting Faust and Porter Streets at the Guadalupe River, New Braunfels |
|---|---|
| County | Comal County |
| Listed | March 17, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09000138 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1887-1934 |
| Architect / builder | King Iron Bridge Company, Builder |
| Architectural style | Other: Pratt (Murphy-Whipple) Through Truss |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored 1993-1998 and in use as a pedestrian-only bridge at its original location; it was closed to vehicles after a 1978 fire. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 29.69927, -98.10613 (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 09000138.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110002768
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.