War Eagle Bridge

War Eagle Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
War Eagle Bridge and mill in 1988
Location	War Eagle, Arkansas, 11045 War Eagle Mill Road (CR 98) off AR 12
Coordinates	36°16′3″N 93°56′36″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1907
Built by	Illinois Steel Bridge Co.
Architectural style	Parker through truss, Other
NRHP reference No.	85003497
Added to NRHP	November 19, 1985

The War Eagle Bridge, a one lane steel bridge built in 1907, adjoins the War Eagle Mill, and carries County Route 98 over War Eagle Creek in Benton County, Arkansas. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 19, 1985.

Bridge history

Looking upstream

The bridge occupies the site of a ford that has been used since the 1830s. Sylvanus Blackburn built a two story log house near the west side and a mill on the east side of the ford in 1832. By the early twentieth century the mill was producing 40 barrels of flour per day, creating a need for better access to local markets.

The bridge was constructed in 1907 by the Illinois Steel Bridge Company of Jacksonville, Illinois for a contracted amount of $4,790. It is the only Parker truss bridge in northwest Arkansas, and one of only seventeen steel truss bridges in the state. It has a span of 182 feet, and an approach of 40 feet on the east side of the bridge. The stone range work pier and abutment on the eastern end and wooden planking for the bridge flooring were provided locally. The stone pier and abutment were replaced with a concrete structure in 1982.

The construction plans and drawings, contract, and correspondence are available at the Benton County Courthouse.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Benton County, Arkansas
• List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas

Further reading

• Jackson, Donald C. (1988). Great American Bridges and Dams, Volume 1 of Great American Places Series, National Trust guide. John Wiley and Sons. p. 360. ISBN 0471143855, ISBN 978-0-471-14385-7.

External links

• Explore Southern History - War Eagle Mill and Bridge - Northwest Arkansas Retrieved Nov. 12, 2009.
• Historic American Engineering Record - War Eagle Bridge, Spanning War Eagle Creek at Benton County Road No. 98, War Eagle, Benton, AR Retrieved June 9, 2010.