Deep River Camelback Truss Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Deep River Camelback Truss Bridge
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Deep River Camelback Bridge in August 2012
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 Location in North Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Cumnock-Gulf, North Carolina |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | about 1901 |
| Architectural style | Camelback Truss |
| NRHP reference No. | 95000696 |
| Added to NRHP | June 9, 1995 |
The Deep River Camelback Truss Bridge is a cool old bridge made of steel. It's a special type called a camelback truss. It sits on strong stone and concrete supports. The road on top used to be planks covered with macadam (a type of pavement).
This bridge crosses the Deep River in North Carolina, USA. It connects two small towns, Gulf (in Chatham County) and Cumnock (in Lee County). It's in a peaceful area surrounded by trees and farms.
It was built way back in 1901. This bridge is so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, only people walking can use this historic bridge. Cars and trucks use a newer bridge built nearby, about 100 yards to the east.
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Where is the Bridge Located?
The Deep River Camelback Truss Bridge is found inside Deep River Park. This park is a great place to visit! It has picnic spots where you can eat lunch. There's also a boat ramp if you want to put a boat in the river. Many people enjoy geocaching here, which is like a treasure hunt using GPS.
To find the bridge from US-421 at the Deep River:
- Go southeast and turn left onto Cumnock Road.
- Follow this road until you reach the county line.
- As you drive over the new bridge, look to your left. You'll see the old truss bridge!
- Keep going about 0.1 mile north.
- Turn left onto Everett Dowdy Road, and you'll find the park entrance.
Bridge History: A Journey Through Time
The Deep River Camelback Truss Bridge is also known as Truss Bridge #155 by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. It connects Cumnock in Lee County with Gulf in Chatham County. This area along the Deep River was once busy with mining for coal, iron, and copper. There were also iron foundries here in the 1800s.
How the Bridge Moved Here
The bridge you see today wasn't always in this spot! It was first built in 1901. Back then, it was part of a much longer bridge over the Cape Fear River in Lillington, about 30 miles southeast.
In December 1930, a part of that bridge collapsed. So, the remaining sections were taken apart. A new bridge was built in Lillington in 1931. In 1932, one of the old sections was moved and rebuilt over the Deep River. It replaced an old wooden covered bridge that had burned down around 1929.
Older Bridges at This Spot
People have been crossing the Deep River at this spot for a very long time. There have been bridges here since at least 1833. You can still see an old stone support on the north side of the current bridge. This stone pier might be from an even earlier bridge! That old bridge was called Evans Bridge. It was named after Peter Evans, who owned a large farm called Egypt on the south side of the river.
Why This Bridge is Special
In 1979, this bridge was recognized as very important. It was one of 35 bridges in North Carolina considered special enough for the National Register of Historic Places. These bridges showed amazing metal engineering from 1880 to 1935. They also played a big part in improving transportation in the early 1900s.
Today, Truss Bridge #155 is one of only four camelback truss bridges left in North Carolina. That makes it quite rare!
In 1992, a new concrete bridge was built for cars, just east of the old truss bridge. The old bridge was then given to the Deep River Park Association. They plan to keep it right where it is. It will become part of their "Rails-to-Trails" project, which turns old railway lines into paths for walking and biking.
Bridge Design: How It's Built
Truss Bridge #155 is a camelback truss bridge. It's 160 feet long and divided into eight sections, called panels. The two main truss structures are connected by a system of braces. These braces help make the bridge strong and stable.
The parts of the truss system are joined together with pins. The bottom parts of the trusses have special "eyes" punched into them. They also have strong, double-forked connectors on all the tie bars. The bridge rests on rough stone supports on the north side and concrete supports on the south side. The road surface was made of planks covered with macadam. If you look closely below the bridge, you might even see the remains of an older bridge's central support!
