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12/2005 Moon

17-CR 301-Hamilton Co.jpg

Hamilton County, Texas

This is a rare example of a Bowstring Truss Bridge, that is still in use today. The Bullman Bridge was built in 1884 over the Leon River on County Road 301 in Hasmilton County, Texas. The King Bridge Company, of Clevland, Ohio had contracted with the county to build 3 bowstring bridges that year, two still stand, though the Jonesboro Bridge is no longer in use, and the third has been moved out of county

Pentax ZX-M ,Sigma 35-80mm ,Kodak 400 Ultra Color

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Guest 24-Jul-2012 19:21
This bridge has been moved to the Hamilton City Park and restored.
Bridgehunting Texas 05-Jul-2011 20:29
The bowstring arch through truss bridge was patented in 1841
by Squire Whipple (1804-1888), a self-taught engineer from
New York. The bowstring truss, or bowstring arch bridge, is
the bridge type that began the transition away from wood and
stone, toward metal as a common bridge building material. This
led to much experimentation and a period when many bridge
companies competed to try to design the best metal bridge.
This also led to a gradual standardization of bridge design.
Most bowstring truss bridges were built in the 1870s. The
bridges were wrought iron, often with cast iron details. Because
Iowa was being settled during this period, more bowstring
truss bridges were built in Iowa than in other states. Today
they are very rare nationally, and although Iowa has less than
20 historic bowstring truss bridges, it boasts more than any
other state. The bowstring truss bridge is inherently a beautiful and
balanced structure. The graceful curve of the arch is balanced
by the angular trusses. These two geometric lines play off of
each other since we tend to think of curving lines as relating to
nature and angular lines as relating to the built environment.
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