Waddell "A" Truss Bridge
About this property
The Waddell "A" Truss Bridge, also known by its original name of Linn Branch Creek Bridge, is one of two surviving examples of the "A" Truss Bridge type originated by John Alexander Low Waddell. It was originally completed in 1898 near Trimble, Missouri, and is currently located at English Landing Park in Parkville, Platte County, Missouri. The bridge was relocated in 1987 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. Originally spanning Linn Branch Creek on the eastern outskirts of Trimble, Missouri, the bridge was built from U.S. patent 529,220, which was an early standardized design of the famed engineer J.A.L. Waddell. It carried a single-tracked segment of the Quincy, Omaha, and Kansas City Railroad between Plattsburg and Trimble. The structure was fabricated by the Pencoyd Iron Works of Philadelphia, and it operated in railroad configuration for over 40 years until the line was abandoned in 1939. In 1953, the Missouri Highway Department renovated the bridge deck to roadway and repurposed the rail line for Missouri State Route 4. By 1972, construction on the future Smithville Lake had begun, rendering the road defunct and threatening the bridge's future. Shortly before the reservoir was impounded in 1979, the bridge was determined eligible to be listed among the National Register of Historic Places. It was catalogued by the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) before being marked, disassembled, and stored by United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1980. The bridge was restored and reassembled at its current location, English Landing Park, in 1987 at a cost of $1,500. The restoration was a volunteer effort led by civil engineering professor George F. W. Hauck of the University of Missouri–Kansas City, with the assistance of students and industry professionals. The project won the "Outstanding Civil Engineering Award of Merit" from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in 1989, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The other surviving Waddell "A" Truss bridge spans the Cross Bayou in Shreveport, Louisiana. Now abandoned, the bridge once carried the Kansas City Southern Railway across the bayou. It has been listed on the National Register as Kansas City Southern Railroad Bridge, Cross Bayou, and is recognized as a historic site by the City of Shreveport. List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Missouri Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. MO-8, "Waddell 'A' Truss Bridge, English Landing Park, Parkville, Platte County, MO", 16 photos, 3 measured drawings, 9 data pages, 1 photo caption page
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 Waddell "A" Truss Bridge listed on the National Register?
Waddell "A" Truss Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 25, 1991.
What type of historic resource is Waddell "A" Truss Bridge?
Waddell "A" Truss Bridge is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Waddell "A" Truss Bridge?
The period of significance for Waddell "A" Truss Bridge is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Waddell "A" Truss Bridge?
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 Waddell "A" Truss Bridge will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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