Janice Peaslee Bridge - Stratford, NH
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nomadwillie
N 44° 39.120 W 071° 33.741
19T E 296827 N 4947487
The Janice Peaslee Bridge (formerly known as the Maidstone-Stratford Hollow Bridge) is a pin-connected steel & wrought iron Pratt through truss bridge. The bridge was originally completed in 1893 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company.
Waymark Code: WM16514
Location: New Hampshire, United States
Date Posted: 05/07/2022
Views: 2
The Berlin Iron Bridge Company is usually associated its patented lenticular truss, which accounted for the majority of their bridge construction. Although less common, they also made examples of other common truss types, of which only a handful survive today. This bridge, while historically significant just as a production of this prolific 19th century bridge fabricator, is even more unique as this example is a straight Pratt through truss.
This example shows the changing times for the Berlin Iron Bridge Company as the main truss material was steel (the switch from wrought iron to steel was made about 1892), but still retains the pin-connected construction style that was used until 1900.
The bridge is incredibly simple compared to other Berlin Iron Bridge Company productions...an indication that cost was important in this area. Standard details that are seen on several other surviving examples (portal decorations, ornate builders plaque, decorative railings) are all absent on this bridge, giving it a very spare look.
This bridge received a comprehensive rehabilitation in 2005 after being closed for a couple of decades. As to be expected there was a small amount of historical integrity loss (mostly the replacement of rivets with bolts), but overall was quite good as no load-bearing modifications were made. The truss still carries the entire load and still operates as via pin connections.
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