Van Wagoner, Murray D., Memorial Bridge
About this property
The Murray D. Van Wagoner Memorial Bridge is a bridge carrying M-156 over Silver Creek in Morenci, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Morenci was founded in 1852 and served as an important industrial and grain mill center. At one point, a 40-foot (12 m) Pratt pony truss was constructed at this site. However, by the early 1930s, this bridge was in very poor condition. In 1935, the state of Michigan entered into a cooperative venture with the Taft Memorial Highway Association, which had been founded in 1930 to create a memorial highway extending from Florida to Michigan to honor William Howard Taft. Part of the venture involved replacing the bridge at this location. The state hired Monroe-based W.H. Knapp Company to construct the bridge at a cost of $35,700 (equivalent to $640,864 in 2024). The bridge was dedicated on July 31, 1935, and featured a speech by Murray Van Wagoner, after whom the city council had named the bridge. Van Wagoner was the head of the Michigan State Highway Department from 1933 until 1940, when he was elected governor. The bridge was rehabilitated in 2000. In 2004, the 1893 Sterling Road truss bridge was relocated from Hillsdale County to the adjacent site for use as a crossing on the pedestrian trail. The bridge is 45 feet (14 m) long and carries a span with a 41.4-foot-wide (12.6 m) deck with a 33-foot-wide (10 m) roadway bordered by sidewalks. The deck is edged by railings made of concrete posts with ornamental metal lattice sections fixed in between. Approach railings are bolted to the inner face of each endpost. The substructure of the bridge is made up of concrete abutments and wing walls with a decorative stepped motif.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Van Wagoner, Murray D., Memorial Bridge listed on the National Register?
Van Wagoner, Murray D., Memorial Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 27, 2000.
What type of historic resource is Van Wagoner, Murray D., Memorial Bridge?
Van Wagoner, Murray D., Memorial Bridge is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Van Wagoner, Murray D., Memorial Bridge?
The period of significance for Van Wagoner, Murray D., Memorial Bridge is recorded as the industrial era.
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Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Van Wagoner, Murray D., Memorial Bridge will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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