Union Arch Bridge
The Union Arch Bridge, also called the Cabin John Bridge, is a historic masonry structure in Cabin John, Maryland. It was designed as part of the Washington Aqueduct and as a roadway bridge. The aqueduct was completed in 1864 and the roadway surface was added later. The bridge was designed and built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers under the direction of Lieutenant Montgomery C. Meigs.[1]
Bridge Design
The bridge, with an overall length of 450 feet and width of 20 feet, is constructed of sandstone and granite, and rises 101 feet above Cabin John Creek. The main arch span is 220 feet long and rises 57.25 feet. The bridge has an internal spandrel wall structure that contains nine additional smaller arches, which are concealed from view by the exterior stone sidewalls.[2] At the time of its construction, the main span was the longest single-span masonry arch in the world. It retained that distinction for 40 years.
Bridge Naming Confusion and Inscriptions Controversy
The naming of the bridge has been somewhat confused, related to its completion during the period of the Civil War.
Union Arch Inscription
While the bridge was being designed and constructed, it was referred to as "Union Arch", "Bridge No. 4" or "Cabin John Bridge" in drawings and government correspondence.[3] The latter two names, however, do not appear in any of the stone carvings that were eventually placed on the bridge. In 1861, as the bridge was nearing completion, the Army drew up initial plans for inscription of commemorative stone tablets to be installed on the bridge. Meigs, who had been promoted to the rank of Captain, issued an order in March 1861 for a tablet on the east bridge abutment. The text was to consist of a title, "Union Bridge," and the names of the principal designers, namely Meigs and Assistant Engineer Alfred L. Rives. By the time the war began, however, Rives had joined the Confederate Army. The final tablet design was modified with the title "Union Arch" and Rives' name was no longer included.[4]
Several publications have referred to the "Union Arch" of the Washington Aqueduct,[5] but others refer to the structure as the Cabin John Bridge.[6]
Jefferson Davis Inscription
The bridge design process had begun in 1853, during the administration of President Franklin Pierce and the Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis. Captain Meigs' 1861 order also called for a tablet on the west bridge abutment, with the title, "Washington Aqueduct" and listing the political leaders that were in office both at the start of the project and at its completion (i.e., Pierce and Davis; President Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of War Simon Cameron). By 1862, however, Davis had left the Union to become President of the Confederate States of America. There was resentment among some members of Congress about the inscription of Davis' name on the bridge, and this led to an order that his name be removed from the tablet. The Department of the Interior, which was managing the aqueduct at that time, ordered the hay wats up removal of the inscription.[7]
In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt was asked by various constituents to restore Davis' name to the tablet. Roosevelt ordered the restoration.[8]
Twentieth Century Naming Confusion
Some additional confusion over the bridge name arose when the Capital Beltway was constructed in the early 1960's, and the nearby Beltway bridge over the Potomac River was also called the "Cabin John Bridge." However, in 1969 the Beltway bridge was formally named the "American Legion Memorial Bridge."
Historic Designations
The Union Arch Bridge was designated as a Historic National Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1972[9] and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Current Operation
The bridge continues to support the aqueduct, as well as a roadway, MacArthur Boulevard. The Army completed a renovation of the bridge in 2001.[10]
See also
References
- ^ Library of Congress. Prints and Photographs Division. Washington, D.C. "Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Collection: Record No. MD-53." Labeled as "Cabin John Aqueduct Bridge." Record originally prepared by National Park Service, 1987.
- ^ Maryland State Highway Administration. Baltimore, MD. "Historic Highway Bridges in Maryland: 1631-1960: Historic Context Report." Chapter 4, "Stone Arch Bridges." October 1995.
- ^ "Message from the President of the United States to the Two Houses of Congress: Report of Operations on the Washington Aqueduct," p. 577 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1861).
- ^ Harry C. Ways, "The Washington Aqueduct: 1852-1992," p. 51 (Baltimore, MD: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, 1996).
- ^ For example, Francis T. Miller and Robert S. Lanier, "The Photographic History of the Civil War in Ten Volumes," p. 95. (New York: The Review of Reviews Co., 1911.)
- ^ For example, Harvey W. Crew, William B. Webb and John Wooldridge, "Centennial History of the City of Washington, D.C.," p. 49 (Dayton, Ohio: United Brethren Publishing House, 1892).
- ^ Ways, op. cit., p. 50.
- ^ ibid., p. 51.
- ^ American Society of Civil Engineers. Reston, VA. "Designated Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks." Labeled as "Cabin John Aqueduct." Accessed February 2, 2008.
- ^ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, MD."Constellation" (Newsletter), Vol. 21, No. 12. Page 5. December 2001.