Upper Paris Bridge

Upper Paris Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Sutton Rd. over the Wapsipinicon River near Coggon
Coordinates	42°14′40″N 91°35′04″W / 42.24444°N 91.58444°WCoordinates: 42°14′40″N 91°35′04″W / 42.24444°N 91.58444°W
Built	1879
Architect	Wrought Iron Bridge Company
MPS	Highway Bridges of Iowa MPS
NRHP Reference #	98000532[1]
Added to NRHP	May 15, 1998

The Upper Paris Bridge is an historic structure located near the town of Coggon in rural Linn County, Iowa, United States. The pinned Whipple through truss bridge was built in 1879 as a wagon bridge. It was designed by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 as a part of the Highway Bridges of Iowa MPS.^[1]

The bridge spans the Wapsipinicon River in the unincorporated community of Paris, Iowa. It has a single 160 feet (49 m) main span and timber stringer approach spans for a total length of 208 feet (63 m). It cost $4,964.72, to build, of which $3,000 was for the superstructure. Its superstructure is an 11-panel, pin-connected Whipple through truss.^[2]

The bridge is significant as a "rare example of a double-intersection Pratt truss", which is a kind of Whipple truss. Its diagonals extend over two panels, and are made of wrought iron, suited for their being under tension. The Whipple truss design was developed by engineer Squire Whipple in 1847.^[2]

As of 1994, it was the longest of only eight pin-connected Whipple through truss bridges surviving in Iowa. It then carried "intermittent" traffic in a setting largely unchanged since 1879.^[2]

References

1. National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. Charlene Roise, Demian Hess and Michelle Crow-Dolby (August 31, 1994). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Upper Paris Bridge" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved July 7, 2016. with photo from 1991