Half Chance Iron Bridge

The Half Chance Iron Bridge, also known as the Half-Chance Bridge, is a historic single-span wrought iron bridge located near the small community of Half Chance, between the towns of Linden and Dayton in rural Marengo County, Alabama. It is on Marengo County Road 39 over Chickasaw Bogue Creek.[1] The bridge is the oldest surviving iron bridge in Alabama, making it an important transportation and engineering landmark for the state.[1]

Half Chance Bridge
Coordinates32°18′50″N 87°42′14″W / 32.314°N 87.704°W / 32.314; -87.704
CrossesChickasaw Bogue Creek
LocaleHalf Chance, Alabama
Official nameHalf Chance Iron Bridge
Characteristics
Designtied-arch bridge
MaterialWrought iron
Width12 feet (3.7 m)
Longest span100 feet (30 m)
History
Constructed byKing Bridge Company
Construction end1880
Half-Chance Bridge
Half Chance Iron Bridge is located in Alabama
Half Chance Iron Bridge
Half Chance Iron Bridge is located in the United States
Half Chance Iron Bridge
LocationMarengo County, Alabama, United States
Nearest cityDayton, Alabama
Coordinates32°18′44″N 87°42′04″W / 32.31222°N 87.70111°W / 32.31222; -87.70111
Arealess than one acre
Built1880
ArchitectKing Iron Bridge Manufacturing Company
NRHP reference No.72000166[1][2]
Added to NRHPSeptember 14, 1972
Location
Map

County Road 39 has been moved over the years. The Half Chance Iron Bridge is approximately 1/4 mi. to the South and on private property.

Half Chance Iron Bridge is a 12-foot (3.7 m) wide tied-arch bridge with a span of 100 feet (30 m). It was built by the King Iron Bridge Manufacturing Company of Cleveland, Ohio in 1880.[1] King Iron Bridge Manufacturing Company was founded in 1871 by Zenas King. As early as 1878 it was manufacturing many types of truss, combination, and wooden bridges and by the 1880s it was the largest highway bridge work in the United States.[3]

The bridge was reported as destroyed in a flood between 2008 and 2012. The structure no longer exists.[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Alabama: Marengo County". "Nationalhistoricalregister.com". Archived from the original on 2006-05-13. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
  3. ^ "King Iron Bridge & Manufacturing Company". "The Cleveland Memory Project". Retrieved 2008-03-05.
  4. ^ "Half Chance Iron Bridge". Retrieved 7 April 2017.