Nokesville Truss Bridge
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Carrying Route 646, known as Aden Road, over the Southern Railway tracks at Nokesville in Prince William County, this bridge is a single-span wrought iron Pratt through truss. It was built in 1882 by the Keystone Bridge Company of Pittsburgh. The span measures just under 74 feet. Its top chords and end posts are made of two upright channels joined by lacing bars, and the vertical posts use the same channel-and-lacing arrangement. The substructure is concrete with timber seats. The bridge is recorded as unaltered and in excellent condition on its original site. It was recognized because Keystone was a pioneer in truss technology and among the most important bridge builders in the United States in the nineteenth century. The bridge was also surveyed as part of a Virginia study of metal truss bridges built between 1865 and 1932. Using the Research Council's 1977 criteria, it scored 21.0 out of a possible 27.0 points, and it is considered significant at the state level.
Significance in brief: The bridge was built by the Keystone Bridge Company of Pittsburgh, described as a pioneer in truss technology and one of the most important bridge companies in the United States in the 19th century. It is regarded as an excellent example of a wrought iron truss. It scored 21.0 of a possible 27.0 points under the Research Council's significance criteria.
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 78003040, listed April 15, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NE of Nokesville on VA 646, Nokesville |
|---|---|
| County | Prince William County |
| Listed | April 15, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78003040 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1882 |
| Architect / builder | Keystone Bridge Company |
| Architectural style | Pratt through truss |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as in excellent condition and unaltered, on its original site. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 38.70723, -77.56422 (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 78003040.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15262441
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.