County Line Bridge is a historic structure located in a rural area west of

Columbus Junction, Iowa Columbus Junction is a city in Louisa County, Iowa. The population was 1,830 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area. Columbus Junction is home of the historic Swinging Bridge, found one block south of ...

, United States. The Louisa County Board of Supervisors approved the petition of Thomas Anwyl in April 1893 to build a bridge over Long Creek on the Louisa-

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

county line. They awarded a $1,174 contract to the Gillette-Herzog Manufacturing Company of

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

to build two bridges. with The second span was the Gipple's Quarry Bridge over Buffington Creek in Elm Grove Township. The bridge span is supported by cast iron columns that were manufactured by the Cast Iron Pile and Bridge Company of

Keosauqua, Iowa Keosauqua ( ) is a city and the county seat of Van Buren County, Iowa, United States. The population was 936 at the time of the 2020 census. History Keosauqua was laid out in 1839. The word Keosauqua derives from the Meskwaki and Sauk name ...

. The steel components were rolled by Carnegie for Gillette-Herzog in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. The

pony truss A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements, typically straight, may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

bridge is typical of those built in the same era in Iowa, however, like Gipple's Quarry Bridge it has an unusual lower chord configuration with end panels that slope downward from the bearing shoes to the center panels. It has subsequently been abandoned. The bridge was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1998.

References

Bridges completed in 1893 National Register of Historic Places in Louisa County, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, Iowa Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Truss bridges in the United States Steel bridges in the United States Buildings and structures in Washington County, Iowa {{Iowa-bridge-struct-stub