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Key Facts |
Bridge Name |
Type | Road | Location | City | Crossing |
| Parshallburg Bridge | Truss | Ditch Road (Formerly; now in park) | Saginaw County, MI | Chesaning | Shiawassee River |
Michigan may not have the largest quantity of historic truss bridges, but Michigan does by chance have a couple truss bridges that are nationally significant and not found in other states with denser truss bridge populations. The Parshallburg Bridge is one of the bridges. The other nationally significant bridge is the New Richmond Bridge. Formerly located in a dot on the map called Parshallburg, the Parshallburg Bridge was moved a few miles north to Chesaning, Michigan. Chesaning can now claim the glory of having the oldest Thatcher truss bridge in the United States, and one of the most significant bridges in Michigan! The bridge was restored in a downtown park setting for pedestrian use. It is easily visible from the semi-historic M-57 bridge that leads into the downtown area. The 1930s M-57 bridge and the Parshallburg bridge make this an attractive area for anyone interested in bridges. The bridge is located in a spot that allows for some good panoramic views, which makes viewing such a unique truss configuration easy.
This bridge is a through Thatcher truss bridge. It was built in 1889, making it the oldest of its type in the US. The truss configuration alone, which is extremely rare, is nationally significant regardless of construction date. When in its original location, the bridge sat on cobblestone abutments. It is 140 feet long. The structure is pin connected. This is actually quite a large overall bridge for Michigan. As a result of its length, the height of the top chord above the road deck is high. The bridge has a large portal bracing as well. Plaques remain on both ends of the bridge, mounted on top of the portals. V-lacing is present on several members, and the vertical members are latticed.
Overall, I was impressed with the restoration of this bridge. I did find some added cables, but I was told that they were added by the county many years ago and were not part of this restoration.
The bridge is currently painted black. The bridge deck has been replaced with a boardwalk style deck, and has large wooden guardrails. Supports for the bridge are simple concrete. Approaches for the main span are present at each end, and are modern pedestrian bridge spans.
Almost a year after I made my winter visit to this bridge I found a photo that showed the bridge in its original location, just before it moved. The photo is blurry, and can be seen in the photo gallery. Most notable is the handmade sign, in which the main part of the sign is barely readable: "Don't move me from my historical home!" I feel sorry for whoever made that, because I would have felt the same way if I lived near the bridge's original location. I have always felt that when a bridge is restored, high priority should be given to restoring the bridge to remain in its original location. Perhaps that was not possible in this case, but with some bridges it is, and that option should be considered first.
