Casselman Bridge
Casselman River Bridge State Park | |
Maryland State Park | |
The bridge's south aspect
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Country | United States |
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State | Maryland |
County | Garrett |
Elevation | 2,113 ft (644 m) [1] |
Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. [1] |
Area | 4 acres (2 ha) [2] |
Established | 1957 [3] |
Management | Maryland Department of Natural Resources |
IUCN category | V - Protected Landscape/Seascape |
Nearest city | Grantsville, Maryland |
Website: Casselman River Bridge State Park | |
Casselman's Bridge, National Road
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Location | East of Grantsville on U.S. Route 40 Alternate, Grantsville, Maryland |
Built | 1813-1814 |
Architect | Unknown |
Architectural style | Other |
NRHP Reference # | 66000391 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966[4] |
Designated NHL | January 29, 1964[5] |
The Casselman Bridge (variously known as Casselmans Bridge, Castleman's Bridge, and Little Crossings Bridge) is an historic transportation structure located 0.5 miles (0.80 km) east of Grantsville in Garrett County, Maryland. The bridge was built to carry the National Road across the Casselman River. It is the centerpiece of Casselman River Bridge State Park.[6] Historic markers posted at each end read:
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Erected 1813 by David Shriver, Jr., Sup't of the "Cumberland Road" (The National Road). This 80 foot span
was the largest stone arch in America at the time. It was continuously used from 1813 to 1933.[7]
The bridge was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964.[5]
History
The 354-foot-long (108 m) stone arch bridge spans 48 feet (15 m) with a 30-foot-high (9.1 m) arch. The bridge was constructed in 1813-1814 to aid in the westward movement through the frontier wilderness west of Cumberland, Maryland. A small portion of the original National Road still exists at the approaches to the bridge.[8]
The first wheeled traffic crossed the bridge in 1815. It was strengthened for motorized traffic in 1911 and continued in service as a highway until 1933 when a modern steel span was built nearby to serve what is now US Route 40 Alternate.[9] In the 1940s and early 1950s efforts were made to preserve the bridge when sections started to crumble and fall apart. The bridge was closed to vehicles in 1953[10] and partially restored by the state in the mid 1950s.[11] Additional maintenance occurred in 1979, 1996, and 2002.[3] More repairs were made in 2012.[12]
Park
The state park offers picnicking facilities as well as fishing opportunities in Casselman River. The bridge is open to foot traffic. Stanton's Mill, which is also on National Register of Historic Places, lies adjacent to the park.[6]
See also
- List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Maryland
- List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland
References
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External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Casselman Bridge. |
- Casselman River Bridge State Park Maryland Department of Natural Resources
- Inventory No. G-II-C-014: Casselman Bridge, National Road (various documents) Maryland State Archives
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. MD-139, "Casselman River Bridge", 3 photos
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. MD-128, "Little Crossings Bridge", 2 measured drawings
- Geobox usage tracking for protected area type
- Pages with broken file links
- Commons category link is locally defined
- Parks in Garrett County, Maryland
- National Historic Landmarks in Maryland
- Bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland
- Bridges completed in 1813
- State parks of Maryland
- Buildings and structures in Garrett County, Maryland
- Road bridges in Maryland
- Pedestrian bridges in Maryland
- Former road bridges in the United States
- Historic American Buildings Survey in Maryland
- Historic American Engineering Record in Maryland
- National Road