Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge

Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge
Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge, looking northwest from its southeast end, in 2009
Coordinates	39°09′30″N 78°32′7″W / 39.15833°N 78.53528°W / 39.15833; -78.53528
Carries	US 50 (1874–1937) CR 16 (1938–1991)
Crosses	South Branch Potomac River (1874–1937) Cacapon River (1938–present)
Locale	Hampshire, West Virginia, United States
Official name	Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge
Other name(s)	South Branch Bridge, Romney Bridge
Named for	Capon Lake
Maintained by	West Virginia Division of Highways, District 5
NRHP #	11000929
Characteristics
Design	National Register of Historic Places
Total length	176 ft (54 m)[1]
Width	20 ft (6.1 m)[1]
Height	23 ft (7.0 m)[1]
History
Constructed by	T. B. White and Sons
Built	1874 (1874)
Rebuilt	1938
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
NRHP reference No.	11000929
Added to NRHP	December 15, 2011[2]
Location

The Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge (locally /ˈkeɪpən/), formerly known as South Branch Bridge or Romney Bridge, is a historic Whipple truss bridge in Capon Lake, West Virginia. It is located off Carpers Pike (West Virginia Route 259) and crosses the Cacapon River. The bridge formerly carried Capon Springs Road (County Route 16) over the river, connecting Capon Springs and Capon Lake.

The bridge's Whipple truss technology was developed by civil engineer Squire Whipple in 1847. J. W. Murphy further modified Whipple's truss design in 1859 by designing the first truss bridge with pinned eyebar connections. The design of the Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge incorporates Murphy's later modifications with double-intersections and horizontal chords, and is therefore considered a Whipple–Murphy truss bridge. The Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge is West Virginia's oldest remaining example of a Whipple truss bridge and its oldest extant metal truss bridge.

The Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge was originally constructed in 1874 as part of the South Branch Bridge (or alternatively, the Romney Bridge), a larger two-span Whipple truss bridge conveying the Northwestern Turnpike (U.S. Route 50) across the South Branch Potomac River near Romney. The larger Whipple truss bridge replaced an 1838 wooden covered bridge that was destroyed during the American Civil War. In 1874, T. B. White and Sons were charged with the construction of a Whipple truss bridge over the South Branch; that bridge served travelers along the Northwestern Turnpike for 63 years until a new bridge was constructed in 1937.

Dismantled in 1937, the bridge was relocated to Capon Lake in southeastern Hampshire County to carry Capon Springs Road (County Route 16) between West Virginia Route 259 and Capon Springs. The bridge was dedicated on August 20, 1938. In 1991, a new bridge was completed to the south, and the Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge was preserved in place by the West Virginia Division of Highways, due to its rarity, age, and engineering significance. The Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 15, 2011.