Sugarloaf Bridge - Milam County, TX
N 30° 49.515 W 096° 44.620
14R E 715821 N 3412413
A "Texas Historic Bridge" sign, probably placed by the Milam County Historical Commission, is at the south end of the Sugarloaf Bridge about 3.6 miles north of Gause, providing some history of the bridge and its restoration.
Waymark Code: WM1618M
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/11/2022
Views: 2
Complementing this sign is a Texas Historical Marker about nearby Sugarloaf Mountain, important to both the Native Americans and the pioneers. Both stand on a concrete base in granite holders -- this sign was stolen back in 2009, and this is probably a protective measure -- and the bridge sign reads:
The Sugarloaf Bridge is a 234-foot long, pin-connected Parker through truss bridge located over the Little River near historic Sugarloaf Mountain in Milam County. Parker trusses such as this one, were developed by C.H. Parker in a series of patents filed between 1868 and 1871. The truss span used for this bridge was originally erected in 1896 over the Brazos River on the Bryan-Caldwell Road in Brazos County. The span was relocated to its present Milam County site in 1940.
The original bridge on the Bryan-Caldwell Road had been constructed at the site of the Pitts Ferry Crossing by the Brazos River Bridge Company as part of a multi-span toll bridge. In 1909 it was purchased by Brazos County and continued in use as a free bridge until 1930, when the Texas Highway Department constructed State Highway 21. The bridge was abandoned upon completion of a new Brazos River crossing on SH 21.
Meanwhile in Milam County the Faubion Bridge was located on an early route known as "Ramons Road" about a mile upstream from the present day Sugarloaf bridge. It was the only crossing of the Little River in the area. After the Faubion Bridge fell into the river in December of 1937, Milam County hired the Austin Bridge Company to move one of the spans of the old abandoned Brazos River Bridge and erect it here near the base of Sugarloaf Mountain.
In 2006 this bridge was restored by the Texas Department of Transportation using Federal Highway Administration transportation enhancement funds. The bridge continues its transportation legacy as a pedestrian bridge and continues to stand as an early landmark of Texas history with a heritage proudly shared by the people of both Brazos and Milam Counties.
Project Year 2006
Group that erected the marker: Milam County Historical Commission
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
Milam County Rd 264
Gause, TX USA
77857
|
Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|