Casselman Bridge
{{Short description|State park in Maryland, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox park
| name = Casselman River Bridge State Park
| photo = CardCasselman014.jpg
| photo_caption = The bridge's south aspect
| photo_width = 280
| photo_alt = Bridge
| map = USA Maryland#USA
| map_caption = Location in Maryland
| map_width = 280
| relief = 1
| label = Casselman River Bridge State Park
| location = Garrett County, Maryland, United States
| nearest_town = Grantsville, Maryland
| coordinates = {{coord|39|41|48|N|79|08|37|W|display=inline,title}}
| coords_ref =
| area = {{convert|4|acre|abbr=on}}
| elevation = {{convert|2113|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| established = 1957
| free_label =
| free_data =
| designation = Maryland state park
| administrator = Maryland Department of Natural Resources
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| visitation_ref =
| status = Closed pending bridge repairs scheduled for 2024
| website = {{Official website}}
| embedded =
{{Infobox NRHP
|embed = yes
| name = Casselman's Bridge, National Road
| nrhp_type = nhl
| image = Castleman's River Bridge Historic Marker.jpg
| image_size = 280
| caption =
| location = East of Grantsville on U.S. Route 40 Alternate, Grantsville, Maryland
| locmapin =
| area = < 1 acre
| built = 1813–1814
| architect = David Shriver Jr.
| architecture =
| designated_nrhp_type = January 29, 1964
| added = October 15, 1966
| refnum = 66000391
}}
}}
The Casselman Bridge is a historic transportation structure on the Casselman River, located immediately east of Grantsville in Garrett County, Maryland, and preserved by the state of Maryland as Casselman River Bridge State Park. The bridge was built in 1813–1814 as part of the National Road. Historic markers posted at each end read:
{{blockquote|text=Erected 1813 by David Shriver Jr.,
Sup't of the "Cumberland Road" (The
National Road). This 80 foot span
was the largest stone arch in America
at the time. It was continuously
used from 1813 to 1933.}}
The structure, which has also been known as Casselmans Bridge, Castleman's Bridge, and Little Crossings Bridge, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and placed on the National Historic Register in 1966.
History
The {{convert|354|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} stone arch bridge spans {{convert|80|ft|m}} with a {{convert|30|ft|m|adj=mid|-high}} arch and a roadway width of {{convert|48|ft|m}}. The bridge was constructed in 1813–1814 to aid in the westward movement through the frontier wilderness west of Cumberland, Maryland. The first wheeled vehicles crossed the bridge in 1815. As a "tidal wave" of western expansion followed the opening of the National Road, Casselman Bridge had heavy traffic that included 10-ton loads drawn by 12-horse teams. A small portion of the original National Road still exists at the approaches to the bridge.
The bridge was strengthened for motorized traffic in 1911 and continued in service as a highway until 1933, when a modern steel span was built nearby to serve what is now US Route 40 Alternate. In the 1940s and early 1950s, efforts were made to preserve the bridge when sections started to crumble. The bridge was closed to vehicles in 1953, partially restored by the state in the mid-1950s, and became a state park in 1957. Additional maintenance occurred in 1979, 1996, 2002, and 2012.
Activities and amenities
In addition to walking over the historic bridge, the state park offers picnicking facilities and fishing in Casselman River. Historic structures to the east of the park include Stanton's Mill, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the restored log cabin craft shops of Spruce Forest Artisan Village.
See also
References
{{reflist|refs=
{{cite web|url=https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/western/casselman.aspx
|title=Casselman River Bridge State Park |publisher=Maryland Department of Natural Resources |access-date=October 8, 2024}}
|title=Casselman River Bridge Bicentennial |first=Francis Champ |last=Zumbrun |publisher=Maryland Department of Natural Resources |access-date=January 3, 2020}}
External links
{{commons category|Casselman River Bridge}}
- [http://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/western/casselman.aspx Casselman River Bridge State Park] Maryland Department of Natural Resources
- [http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/stagsere/se1/se5/012000/012900/012922/pdf/msa_se5_12922.pdf Inventory No. G-II-C-014: Casselman Bridge, National Road (various documents)] Maryland State Archives
- {{HABS |survey=MD-139 |id=md0303 |title=Casselman River Bridge |photos=3}}
- {{HAER |survey=MD-128 |id=md1549 |title=Little Crossings Bridge |dwgs=2}}
- {{MHT url|id=8|title=Casselman Bridge, Garrett County}}, including photo from 1996, at Maryland Historical Trust
{{Protected areas of Maryland}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Maryland}}
{{NRHP bridges}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Parks in Garrett County, Maryland
Category:State parks of the Appalachians
Category:National Historic Landmarks in Maryland
Category:Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland
Category:Bridges completed in 1813
Category:State parks of Maryland
Category:Transportation buildings and structures in Garrett County, Maryland
Category:Pedestrian bridges in Maryland
Category:Former road bridges in the United States
Category:Historic American Buildings Survey in Maryland
Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Maryland
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Garrett County, Maryland
Category:Stone arch bridges in the United States