Burr's Ferry Bridge
Also known as: State Highway 63 Bridge at the Sabine River; Nw0214-04-005
Why it's listed
Burr's Ferry Bridge carries State Highway 63 over the Sabine River on the Texas-Louisiana line. It has three riveted steel Parker through truss spans, a 250-foot center span flanked by two 120-foot spans, plus 34 concrete girder approach spans, for an overall length of 1,882 feet. The Louisiana Highway Commission designed it with review by Texas engineers, and the W. Horace Williams Company built it in 1936-1937. It replaced a toll ferry that had served a heavily used crossing since the 19th century. Funding came from the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935 as a Works Program Highway Project, with labor largely drawn from relief rolls. The bridge is significant for that Depression-era public works link and for engineering: long spans and a slightly curved alignment answered drift and swampy approach conditions. Apart from replaced portal bracing in 1977, it is largely unaltered and still carries traffic, although a replacement project is being planned.
Significance in brief: The bridge was built with federal emergency relief funds under a Depression-era Works Program Highway Project, which supports significance in transportation. Its long spans and slightly curved alignment addressed difficult river site conditions, supporting significance in engineering at the state 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 98000562, listed May 18, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | TX 63 at the LA state line, Burkeville |
|---|---|
| County | Newton County |
| Listed | May 18, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98000562 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1936-1937 |
| Architect / builder | Bridge Designer: Louisiana Highway Commission; Truss Fabricator: unknown; Bridge Builder: W. Horace Williams Company of New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Architectural style | Other: Parker through truss bridge |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in place and carrying highway traffic; a replacement project is in preliminary planning and the bridge's disposition is undecided. |
| Acreage | 1.1 |
| Coordinates | 31.06395, -93.52037 (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 98000562.
- 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.