Blackwater River Bridge
Photos
Approach from the north
This cleared area north of the bridge was reportedly a gathering place for blacks from the hamlet of Pennytown a couple of miles to the northwest.
Photo taken by Clark Vance in March 2019
BH Photo #444873
Facts
- Overview
- Abandoned truss bridge over Blackwater River on Unimproved road
- Location
- Saline County, Missouri
- Status
- Derelict/abandoned
- Builder
- - Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co. of Leavenworth, Kansas
- Design
- Pratt through truss
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +38.98164, -93.13637 (decimal degrees)
38°58'54" N, 93°08'11" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 15/488188/4314748 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Longwood
- Land survey
- T. 49 N., R. 20 W., Sec. 32
- Elevation
- 628 ft. above sea level
- Inventory number
- BH 69634 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Sources
- Clark Vance - cvance [at] dogmail [dot] com
- Pennytown, Mo; An Historic Black Hamlet
- Wikipedia - Pennytown history
Comments
Some answers from a visit today but some questions as well. The plaque supposedly came from the end on the main span. The 1877 date seems early and doesn't match the concrete pier on the south end. I was told the approach on the north was riveted and arched. I tried to clarify whether the truss was a regular pony or a bowstring. I got answers that always pointed to it having been a bowstring. It was damaged and scrapped some years ago.
I'll add an essay on the history as recounted to me. More questions there as well.
Looks like a 7-panel Pratt... Nice find CV!
Wow.
No visible traces of the road to it either. Bing shows a Lumber Lane that probably connected long ago.
Nice find.
Love mystery bridges.
"Oh I wish I had a pencil thin mustache
Then I could solve some mysteries too"
This looks like a lightweight Pratt. Great find! It is always nice when a complete mystery bridge shows up.
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/mo/saline/bh69634/
Yeah Clark, I was just looking closer at this one and the portal bracing looks like 1890's and not 1870's. I would expect the overall structure too be a little lighter looking as well. Makes me wonder if there wasn't an older span here that was replaced with this one... But he said he took it off of this one so idk.