Pennsylvania Avenue Rock Creek Bridge

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

From the record

One of 30 National Register listings published here for Montgomery County · listed in 1985 · category: Structure.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 structure as contributing to the listing.
Address. Pennsylvania Ave. over Rock Creek, Independence, 67301
When was it listed? July 1985
Category. structure
Also known as. Masonry Arch Bridges of Kansas TR
City. Independence city
National Register reference number. 85001437 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.

Fires near this property

86 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 86 fires within 5 miles of Pennsylvania Avenue Rock Creek Bridge between 2015 and 2020, burning about 315 acres in total. None started naturally. 4 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Debris and open burning	45
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	25
Equipment and vehicle use	6
Smoking	5
Arson/incendiarism	4
Fireworks	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
23 September 2017	Equipment and vehicle use	1.0 acres	Montgomery County	1740195
21 September 2017	Equipment and vehicle use	under an acre	Montgomery County	1730028
4 August 2017	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Montgomery County	1460
19 August 2020	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1.0 acres	Kansas Forest Service	not named
7 July 2017	Arson/incendiarism	under an acre	Montgomery County	1259
5 July 2015	Fireworks	under an acre	Kansas Forest Service	1086
4 July 2015	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Kansas Forest Service	1510072
3 July 2018	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Kansas Forest Service	1394

Every fire recorded in Montgomery County

Mines and quarries near this property

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Pennsylvania Avenue Rock Creek Bridge: 2 producers. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Clay, Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where	Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
	Independence Clay Pit	Clay	Producer
	Independence Limestone Cement Plant	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer

Every working recorded in Montgomery County

Storms near this property

60 of 155 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Independence, the town this property stands in, in 155 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 56 hail, 54 thunderstorm wind, 23 flash flood, 11 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
June 1998	Hail	Independence	$1,000,000	Wind-driven hail smashed windows and inflicted considerable damage to roofs and vehicles.
June 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	$1,000,000	Numerous trees blown over, inflicting damage to at least 3 houses. Nine utilitiy poles blown over, severing power to numerous residences.
May 2007	Flash Flood	Independence	$350,000	Water rescue performed southwest of Independence. Flooding was reported across the county.
August 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	$200,000	A severe thunderstorm produced extensive power pole and tree damage across primarily western portions of Independence. An estimated 80 power poles were damaged or downed along a five-mile stretch on Peter Pan Road, knocking out power to an estimated 6,500 customers. Shortly after the storm, several motorists were stranded between the downed electrical lines and poles. Highways 160 and 75 through Independence were closed through the 26th due to the downed poles and lines. Information courtesy of the Independence Daily Reporter.
April 2015	Hail	Independence	$50,000	A viewer on FOX23, out of Tulsa reported hail to the size of grapefruit.
July 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	$50,000	The western and southern sections of the county received the brunt of the damaging winds from the large complex that traveled across central Kansas. Ninety mph winds damaged buildings at the Independence Airport. In Coffeyville, over 100 mph winds damaged roofs, signs and store windows as well as toppled trees. An entire metal shed was lifted from a yard and dropped over a fence into a neighboring yard.
May 1993	Hail	Independence	$50,000	no account filed
August 2019	Flash Flood	Independence	$40,000	Some street flooding occurred across Independence, stalling a few cars.
September 2009	Flash Flood	Independence	$30,000	Heavy rainfall of 4 to 6 inches in a 24 hour period caused flooding of numerous streets and county roads in and around Indepedence. The flooding caused portions of Highway 160 and 75 to be closed going through town. One water rescue was reported from a stalled vehicle.
August 2003	Lightning	Independence	$25,000	Unspecified number of power poles struck, severing power to 1,073 residences. By approximately 10AM the following morning, power had been restored to all but 61 residences. Times of incidents approximate. Narrative courtesy of the Parsons Sun.
May 2008	Flash Flood	Independence	$20,000	Two water rescues were conducted in Coffeyville while many city roads were closed in Independence due to high water.
February 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	$10,000	Winds estimated around 65 mph affected Independence. Damage was sporadic in town, with a large tree reported on a house, and a destroyed shed. Ping pong ball size hail accompanied the severe winds. The Independence Daily Reporter contributed to this report.
June 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	$10,000	no account filed
April 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	$5,000	The law enforcement reported that a 43-52 knot gust downed 2 power poles in town.
April 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	$5,000	A house sustained some structural damage due to severe straight line winds.
August 2003	Lightning	Independence	$5,000	Two homes struck. In the first, and more serious case, part of the home was set ablaze, with fire apparently spreading from the basement, up thru a laundry chute, then into the walls and attic of the home. The roof was also damaged, with most damage occurring toward the back of the home. Approximately six hours were required to extinguish the fire.In the second case, wiring was struck, igniting a small fire. Damage estimate: $100. Independence Daily contributed greatly to this narrative.
July 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	$5,000	Trees and power lines downed.
March 1993	Hail	Independence	$5,000	A thunderstorm dropped 0.75-inch hail briefly south of Independence. Little damage resulted.
May 1993	Hail	Independence	$5,000	no account filed
April 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	$1,000	A KWCH-TV storm chaser reported 5 to 6 inch diameter tree limbs down.
June 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	$1,000	Several 3 to 4 inch diameter tree limbs downed north of Independence.
April 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	$500	Golf ball-size hail also fell.
April 1994	Hail	Independence	$500	no account filed
April 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	$200	A trained weather spotter reported 8 inch diameter tree limbs down.
May 2009	Flood	Independence	$200	Two to four inches of rainfall caused flooding of county roads throughout the county including some low water crossings.
July 2021	Flash Flood	Independence	$100	Several roads in and around Independence, especially those near Whiskey creek had water over them and were closed during the flooding.
July 2021	Flood	Independence	$100	Up to 3 inches of rain feel near Whiskey Creek which produced some flooding. A few roads were also closed.
May 2020	Flash Flood	Independence	$100	Several rural roads were flooded across the county. In the town of Independence, Whiskey Creek flooded areas near several homes along North 19th and 15th streets. It was reported that 2 feet of water was surrounding the homes.
April 2016	Flood	Independence	$100	Six to eight inches of water flowed over Laurel and Hackney Roads. Also low land flooding was noted on both sides of town.
October 2016	Flash Flood	Independence	$100	Water was reported flowing over Pennsylvania Avenue on the south side of Independence.
October 2016	Flash Flood	Independence	$100	Water was flowing over south 10th street near Rock creek.
August 2013	Flood	Independence	$100	Numerous county roads had water over them.
April 1994	Hail	Independence	$50	no account filed
January 2026	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	-	Powerlines and power poles were down across the city. In addition, several outbuildings were damaged. A semi trailer was blown over as well. Entry door windows were broken and part of a roof was peeled off of a church.
May 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	-	Wind gusts were estimated to be around 60 mph. Powerlines and multiple tree limbs were down across the city of Independence. A possible structure fire was potentially started by a downed power line.
February 2024	Heavy Rain	Independence	-	This is a 24 hour rainfall total of 1.62 inches. There was one accident which occurred during this time frame that could be partially attributed to this event. No apparent injuries were reported.
April 2024	Tornado (EFU)	Independence	-	Two photos of the tornado were shared via social media. No damage was reported.
June 2024	Flood	Independence	-	Law enforcement reports street flooding in the city of Independence.
August 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	-	Emergency management relayed a measured wind gust of 70 mph about one mile west of Independence. Estimated wind gusts of 80 mph were reported by local law enforcement and a trained spotter in the town of Independence and two miles south of Independence, respectively. Large trees were knocked down over the roadway about a mile to two west of town with an estimated 70 mph wind gust from a trained spotter.
April 2023	Hail	Independence	-	The report was from Mping.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	-	A tree was reported down in Independence.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	-	There were reports of several trees and power lines down in Independence.
September 2023	Hail	Independence	-	Emergency manager reported one inch hail.
October 2020	Heavy Rain	Independence	-	A total of 3.00 inches of rain was reported for the previous 24 hours.
April 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	-	Three trees were uprooted and blocked traffic on a couple streets in Independence.
June 2019	Heavy Rain	Independence	-	This is a 24 hour total.
June 2019	Heavy Rain	Independence	-	This is a 24 hour total.
May 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	-	A metal roof was peeled off of a shed and a small portion of a house. A six in tree limb was also broken off.
May 2019	Flash Flood	Independence	-	A water rescue occurred in the 900-1000 block of North Park Blvd.
May 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	-	Relayed by a trained spotter.
May 2019	Flood	Independence	-	South 10th St. was flooded at the Grant Intersection.
May 2019	Flash Flood	Independence	-	Six to 12 inches of water was reported over Main Street.
May 2019	Flood	Independence	-	County Road 5800 was flooded at the bridge due to the swollen Verdigris River.
May 2019	Flash Flood	Independence	-	A few roads were closed across eastern sections of Independence.
May 2019	Flash Flood	Independence	-	There was a water rescue on CR 5100 just north of Highway US-160. Drum Creek was reported out of it's banks.
August 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	-	No damage was reported.
August 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	-	The 54-knot gust was measured at Independence Airport.
August 2018	Heavy Rain	Independence	-	This was the 24 hour rainfall total.
August 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	-	Reported at the intersection of Highways 160 and 75.
August 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Independence	-	Reported at the Rim Dike.

Every storm recorded in Montgomery County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
Union Implement and Hardware Building-Masonic Temple	0.6 miles	1988
Booth Hotel	0.6 miles	1983
Independence Public Carnegie Library	0.7 miles	1988
Cook's Hotel	0.7 miles	2006
Independence Downtown Historic District	0.7 miles	2006
Prairie Oil & Gas Building	0.7 miles	2024

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 85001437 in Record Group 79.
Montgomery County	All 30 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.