The Wheeling Suspension Bridge, constructed by Charles Ellet, Jr.
Between 1846 and 1849, was the first long-span wire-cable suspension
bridge in the U. S. For many years it was the longest clear-span
bridge in the world. The deck was wrecked by a violent storm in 1854.
It was re-built and the structure with its original towers and cables
is still in service. It is the most significant remaining pre-Civil
War bridge in the nation.