Nolan River Bridge 303-A of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway
Also known as: Nolan River Bridge at Blum, Texas
Why it's listed
Spanning the Nolan River on the north side of Blum, this six-span steel plate girder bridge rests on five rusticated limestone piers. Three of the piers date from an 1887 rebuilding of an earlier 1881 bridge, and two were added in 1900. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway replaced the older iron truss structure between 1899 and 1903 to carry heavier locomotives and to remove fire-prone timber trestle approaches. Until 1952 the bridge carried the through traffic of the Santa Fe between Chicago and Galveston, helping move Texas cotton and other goods. That year, construction of Whitney Dam led the railroad to move its line to higher ground. The bridge was transferred to Hill County, which removed the track and graded the ballast into a one-lane road. Its girders, piers, abutments and floor system remain largely unchanged, and it is valued as a well-preserved example of early twentieth-century railroad bridge engineering.
Significance in brief: The bridge carried the Santa Fe's main through traffic between Chicago and Galveston from 1903 until 1952, a strategic line in the economic development of Texas. It is also a nearly unaltered example of a plate girder bridge type that was once common and is now unusual. It is nominated under Criterion A for transportation and Criterion C for engineering, at the local level.
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 12001001, listed December 4, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Cty. Rd. 1127 at Nolan R., Blum |
|---|---|
| County | Hill County |
| Listed | December 4, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12001001 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1899-1952 |
| Architect / builder | Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway Company |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Engineering |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in sound condition and in use as a one-lane county road bridge since 1952, maintained first by the Santa Fe Railway and then by Hill County. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.15434, -97.39378 (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 12001001.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16162927
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.