Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge

Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge
Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge, looking northwest from its southeast end, in 2009
Coordinates39°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)
CrossesSouth Branch
Potomac River
(1874–1937)
Cacapon River (1938–present)
LocaleHampshire, West Virginia, United States
Official nameCapon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge
Other name(s)South Branch Bridge, Romney Bridge
Named forCapon Lake
Maintained byWest Virginia Division of Highways, District 5
NRHP #11000929
Characteristics
DesignNational Register of Historic Places
Total length176 ft (54 m)[1]
Width20 ft (6.1 m)[1]
Height23 ft (7.0 m)[1]
History
Constructed byT. B. White and Sons
Built1874 (1874)
Rebuilt1938
NRHP reference No.11000929
Added to NRHPDecember 15, 2011[2]
Location
Map

The Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge (locally /ˈkpən/), 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.

  1. ^ a b c Fint 2011, p. 5 of the PDF file.
  2. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 12/12/11 through 12/16/11. National Park Service. December 23, 2011. Archived from the original on October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2015.