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Photo, Print, Drawing Atherton Bridge, Spanning Nashua River on Bolton Road, Lancaster, Worcester County, MA Bolton Road Bridge

View 22 images in sequence.
[ Photos from Survey HAER MA-17  ]

More Resources

View 3 images in sequence.
[ Drawings from Survey HAER MA-17  ]
[ Data Pages from Survey HAER MA-17  ]
[ Photo Captions from Survey HAER MA-17  ]

About this Item

Title

  • Atherton Bridge, Spanning Nashua River on Bolton Road, Lancaster, Worcester County, MA

Other Title

  • Bolton Road Bridge

Names

  • Historic American Engineering Record, creator
  • J.H. Cofrode & Company
  • Phoenix Iron Company
  • Post, Simeon S.
  • Wilder, Charles L.
  • Thissle, Joshua
  • Thayer, Nathaniel
  • Hawley, Monica E., transmitter
  • Jackson, Donald C., transmitter
  • Lowe, Jet, photographer
  • Stupich, Martin, photographer
  • Massachusetts Department of Public Works, sponsor
  • Massachusetts Historical Commission, sponsor
  • DeLony, Eric N., project manager
  • Schodek, Daniel L., field team supervisor
  • Reese, Patricia, field team
  • Kleinschmidt, Gary C., field team
  • Payne, Christopher, field team
  • Fleisig, Morgen, field team
  • Rowan, Mark C., field team
  • Sosef, Rudolf J. A., field team
  • Bennett, Lola, field team
  • Harshbarger, Patrick, historian
  • Healey, John, field team
  • Stupich, Martin, photographer

Created / Published

  • Documentation compiled after 1968

Headings

  • -  iron truss bridges
  • -  civil engineering
  • -  bridge construction
  • -  transportation
  • -  patents
  • -  railroad companies
  • -  industry
  • -  textile industry
  • -  floods
  • -  vehicular bridges
  • -  Massachusetts--Worcester County--Lancaster

Latitude / Longitude

  • 42.44471,-71.67243

Notes

  • -  Significance: The Atherton Bridge is an example of a hybrid pony-truss that bears a similarity to the Post truss. The bridge is 72 feet long, 18 1/2 feet wide, and is comprised of eight panels. It rests on granite abutments and was, at the time of its construction, the only iron bridge in Lancaster. Characteristics of the Post truss incorporated into the Atherton Bridge include compression members which incline towards the middle of the bridge, and tension rods which incline outwards. These tension rods and compression members extend over one panel except at the ends, where they extend over two. The compression members are formed of "Phoenix Columns," patented by the Phoenix Iron Company of Pennsylvania. The top chord consists of riveted compression members. The web members are joined to the top chord by pin connections while the web connections are joined to the bottom chord with screw connections. The bridge's wood and steel floor beams rest directly on the bottom chords of the truss. The floor beams support a wood plank deck. This structure retains an enormous amount of historical integrity. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Atherton Bridge is an unique variation on the metal truss designed by Simeon S. Post in the 1860s, and one of only a small number of Post-type bridges known to survive nationally. The Post truss enjoyed a brief period of popularity in the late 1860s and early 1970s and was used widely by railways for long-span river crossings. The Atherton Bridge is unique in that the web configuration resembles a Post truss, but the bridge does not incorporate Post's patented joints. The builders of the bridge, J.H. Cofrode & Company of Philadelphia, probably adapted the Post form for use in small highway bridges. The Atherton Bridge is locally significant as the first iron bridge erected in Lancaster. Although it has sustained structural damage from overloading, the bridge has not been significantly altered.
  • -  Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: FN-11
  • -  Survey number: HAER MA-17
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1870 Initial Construction
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1975 Subsequent Work

Medium

  • Photo(s): 22
  • Measured Drawing(s): 3
  • Data Page(s): 25
  • Photo Caption Page(s): 2

Call Number/Physical Location

  • HAER MASS,14-LANC.V,1-

Source Collection

  • Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress)

Repository

Control Number

  • ma1171

Rights Advisory

Online Format

  • image
  • pdf

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  • Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. https://aj.sunback.homes/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
  • Reproduction Number: ---
  • Call Number: HAER MASS,14-LANC.V,1-
  • Access Advisory: ---

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Historic American Engineering Record, Creator, J.H. Cofrode & Company, Phoenix Iron Company, Simeon S Post, Charles L Wilder, Joshua Thissle, Nathaniel Thayer, et al., Lowe, Jet, Martin Stupich, and Martin Stupich, photographer. Atherton Bridge, Spanning Nashua River on Bolton Road, Lancaster, Worcester County, MA. Massachusetts Worcester County Lancaster, 1968. translateds by Hawley, Monica E.Mitter, and Jackson, Donald C.Mitter Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/ma1171/.

APA citation style:

Historic American Engineering Record, C., J.H. Cofrode & Company, Phoenix Iron Company, Post, S. S., Wilder, C. L., Thissle, J. [...] Healey, J., Lowe, J., Stupich, M. & Stupich, M., photographer. (1968) Atherton Bridge, Spanning Nashua River on Bolton Road, Lancaster, Worcester County, MA. Massachusetts Worcester County Lancaster, 1968. Hawley, M. E. M. & Jackson, D. C. M., transs Documentation Compiled After. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/ma1171/.

MLA citation style:

Historic American Engineering Record, Creator, et al., photographers by Lowe, Jet, Martin Stupich, and Martin Stupich. Atherton Bridge, Spanning Nashua River on Bolton Road, Lancaster, Worcester County, MA. trans by Hawley, Monica E.Mitter, and Jackson, Donald C.Mitter Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/ma1171/>.