The Bridge at 13th Street, also known as the Wooden Bridge, is a historic bridge in St. Francisville, Illinois that carries 13th Street across a former railroad right-of way. The bridge was built in 1909 as a safer crossing of the railroad; at the time, the railroad was operated by the Cairo, Vincennes and Chicago Railway, a division of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (Big Four). The railroad paid for the bridge according to its contract with the city, which had passed a city council resolution compelling the railroad to fulfill this portion of the contract two years earlier. The bridge is a beam bridge built partly of timber and partly of steel, though it is possible that its steel beam was added after its completion. At 181 feet (55 m) long with a 54-foot (16 m) main span, the bridge is relatively long compared to other surviving timber bridges in Illinois.[2]
Bridge at 13th Street | |
Location | 13th St. between Clark and Johnson Sts., St. Francisville, Illinois |
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Coordinates | 38°35′34″N 87°39′12″W / 38.59278°N 87.65333°W |
Built | 1909 |
NRHP reference No. | 16000198[1] |
Added to NRHP | April 26, 2016 |
The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 26, 2016.[1]