Old Stone Arch Bridge - Marshall, IL
Posted by: 
cldisme
N 39° 23.187 W 087° 42.498
16S E 439001 N 4359902
A bridge built specifically for the National Road in 1828.
Waymark Code: WM6MT8
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 06/22/2009
Views: 5
The Old Stone Arch Bridge west of Marshall, Illinois was constructed on the National Road in 1828 from northern Indiana limestone carried down the Wabash River by barge. Once it arrived nearest the site, the limestone was hauled by wagon pulled by oxen.
The stone for this bridge was cut to fit perfectly and held in place, without mortar, by a keystone at the top of the arch. Today this bridge continues to sustain the weight of heavy traffic and has required very little maintenance over the years.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places (
.PDF file) on February 20, 1975.
An
Illinois Historical Marker accompanyies this historic bridge. The marker text reads as follows:
This bridge was completed by Army Engineers sometime between 1834 and 1837 as a part of the Old National Road. The Road, between Cumberland, Maryland and Vandalia, Illinois, was authorized by the Enabling Act of 1803 and was the nation's first Federally financed highway. The bridge is a prime example of the stone-building art and early American Engineering. Stones were precisely cut and fitted together without bond or mortar. Many stone arch bridges were built along the Cumberland Road, but this was the only one still in use at the time of the marker dedication.
Erected by the Clark County Historical Society and the Illinois State Historical Society, 1976.