Nomination for Ponakin Bridge

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Form No. 10-300 REV. (9/77) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE FOR NPS USE ONLY NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM RECEIVED JUL DATE ENTERED SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES - COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS 1 NAME HISTORIC Ponakin Bridge AND/OR COMMON Ponakin Bridge LOCATION N Ponakin Road STREET & NUMBER larcastar on CITY, TOWN STATE Lancaster uo. - VICINITY OF CODE Massachusetts 025 CLASSIFICATION CATEGORY _DISTRICT _BUILDING(S) *STRUCTURE _SITE _OBJECT OWNERSHIP XPUBLIC _PRIVATE _BOTH PUBLIC ACQUISITION - IN PROCESS BEING CONSIDERED STATUS OCCUPIED .UNOCCUPIED _WORK IN PROGRESS ACCESSIBLE - YES: RESTRICTED XYES: UNRESTRICTED -NO 4 OWNER OF PROPERTY NAME Town of Lancaster STREET & NUMBER Town Hall CITY.

TOWN Lancaster VICINITY OF LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC. Worcester County Registry of Deeds STREET & NUMBER 2 Main Street CITY, TOWN Worcester REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TÍTLE - NOT FOR PUBLICATION CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 2nd COUNTY worcester CODE 027 PRESENT USE AGRICULTURE MUSEUM COMMERCIAL _PARK -EDUCATIONAL -PRIVATE RESIDENCE ENTERTAINMENT -RELIGIOUS GOVERNMENT SCIENTIFIC _INDUSTRIAL X-TRANSPORTATION - MILITARY -OTHER: STATE Massachusetts STATE Massachusetts Inventory of Historic Assets of the Commonwealth DATE 1975 DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS CITY. TOWN _FEDERAL XSTATE _COUNTY LOCAL Massachusetts Historical Commission 294 Washington Street, Boston STATE Massachusetts 02108 DESCRIPTION CONDITION -EXCELLENT X GOOD -FAIR _DETERIORATED RUINS UNEXPOSED CHECK ONE * UNALTERED -ALTERED CHECK ONE *ORIGINAL SITE -MOVED DATE.

DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Description of the property

The Ponakin Bridge is a single span Post through truss constructed in 1871. The bridge serves automobile traffic crossing the north branch of the Nashua River in Lancaster. Originally on the main route from Lancaster to Lunenburg, the bridge is now on a winding country road. It is now approximately 400 feet from a by-pass highway constructed in 1965. The eight truss paneled structure has a span of 100 feet and width of 20 feet. The vertical end posts are riveted in sections. The bridge is typical of Post trusses with pinned end diagonals in compression and diagonal dual eye bars extending two panels in tension. Secondary tension rods running between the dual eye bolts extend across one panel. Struts connecting each side hip are riveted; top lateral diagonal cross bars provide additional bracing.

Floor construction consists of three inch deck planking supported by tranverse cross timbers atop wood stringers which in turn rest on riveted cross floor beams. Floor beams are attached at the panel points. Abutments are 20' granite blocks.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD _PREHISTORIC -1400-1499 -1500-1599 -1600-1699 -1700-1799 1800-1899 1900- ARCHEOLUGY-PREHISTORIC ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC _AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE -ART COMMERCE _COMMUNICATIONS AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE -- CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW _COMMUNITY PLANNING _LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE CONSERVATION _LAW _ECONOMICS _LITERATURE _EDUCATION _MILITARY XENGINEERING MUSIC _EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT _PHILOSOPHY. _INDUSTRY _POLITICS/GOVERNMENT _INVENTION _RELIGION _SCIENCE _SCULPTURE _SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN _THEATER X TRANSPORTATION _OTHER (SPECIFY) SPECIFIC DATES 1871 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE BUILDER

Statement of significance

/ARCHITECT Watson Manufacturing Company The Ponakin Bridge possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials, and workmanship and is associated with major transportation routes and the development of Lancaster. The bridge also possesses significance in being the only remaining pure version of a Post truss known to the Historic American Engineering Record. In 1871 the town of Lancaster contracted with Watson Manufacturing Company, Builders of Patterson, New Jersey to construct a new bridge replacing the last in a series of of wooden bridges that had been there since the seventeenth century. That year the Ponakin Bridge was built for the sum of $5981 following the design of Simeon S. Post which was patented c. 1866. S.S.

Post was a well known New Hampshire born civil engineer "whose work in addition to bridge design and building included surveys and construction of railroads, particularly the New York and Erie. He was the originator of the system of railroad baggage checking universally adopted and drew the first design for making railroad time tables. He was also a founding member of the original (1852) American Society of Civil Engineers."1 The Post truss is distinguished by compression members that incline toward the center of the bridge. The Post truss bridge was a major bridge form in the second half of the nineteenth century and was the most frequently used bridge form for the transcontinental rallroad. Other important Post truss bridges include the Union Pacific Railroad's crossing of the Missouri River at Omaha. was the largest on the line.

The Missouri River crossing of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad was also a Post patented bridge with a span of 256'. Despite the truss' popularity, The Ponakin and the nearby Atherton Bridges (NR-eligible) are the only known surviving examples in the country. Taken together, the bridges comprise a unique pair of structures representing an important era in American engineering. The town of Lancaster has demonstrated its commitment to upkeep of the bridge through town-funded repairs over the years. The load limit today is four tons, and trucks and heavy loads are excluded from crossing the bridge.

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Allen, Richard S., Iron Bridges on S.S. Post's Patent Condit, Carl, American Building Art, 19th c., vol, I, pp. 145-6, N.Y.: Oxford Univ. Press, 1960 Marvin, Abijah P., History of Lancaster 1652-1879, Lancaster, 1879 Town clerk and selectmen's records Correspondence with Donald Jackson, HAER 10 GEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY approx. 4 acre QUADRANGLE NAME Clinton, MA UTM REFERENCES AL1,9/ |2/7,9/2,4,5 ZONE EASTING L4,7/016/41810 NORTHING QUADRANGLE SCALE 1:24000 *ZONE EASTING NORTHING DLULLILLL NORTHING EU FLi LiyLiL GULLILLLLLILI UULLLL VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION Ponakin Bridge is located on Ponakin Road where the road crosses the Nashua River. LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES STATE CODE COUNTY CODE STATE CODE COUNTY CODE I1FORM PREPARED BY NAME / TITLE Elizabeth I.

Durfee with Phyllis and Lee Farnsworth Inventory Coordinator ORGANIZATION Lancaster Historica1 Commission Massachusetts Historical Commission June 29, 1979 STREET & NUMBER TELEPHONE 294 Washington Street 617-727-8470 CITY OR TOWN STATE Boston, MA 02108 12 STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER CERTIFICATION THE EVALUATED SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE IS: NATIONAL STATE _ LOCAL- As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665). I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth bythe National Park Sefvice. STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATURE aleni h. Weslowski 7/18/24 TITLE FOR NPS USE ONLY I HEREBY DATE Executive Director, Mass.

Historical Commission ERTIFY THAT THIS PROPERTY IS INGLUDED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER DATE ATTEST: EPER OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER ( CHIEF-OF REGSTRATIOT ulug DATE 9-10-29 9/10/22 GPO Property Ponakin Bredge statepress. (Worcecten Horking Number 2. 30. 79.18/0 TECHNICAL Photos CONTROL Maps OK 2.30.25 An intact Poat truss bridge, the only remanens HISTORIAN Accped yue example o such a truss knovs to HAER, and 9/10/29 one fonly a surcrving in U.S. The Post twes was Ppa amcouiane ter imtuchin ARCHITECTIRA PISTORLAN in latter 12 f the rath C.

ARCHEOLOGIST OTHER HAER Inventory - Review REVIEW UNIT CHIEF accegt Oulay 9/0124 BRANCH CHIEF KEEPER National Register Write-up Federal Register Entry 70-2-79 Send-back Re-submit Entered SEP United States Department of the Interior - Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service Ponakin Bridge Lancaster, MA #/0f1 JUL 3 0 1979 Wendell Bartlett May 1975 ancaster Historical Commission NORCESTER COUNTYSEP 1O 1979 (condition unchanged since 1975) marel bopar: mydarbzyot hor mom ona so me 473 Harvara Road Iancaster, less. 01523 31 Jul? 1973 RECEIVED JUL 3 0 1979 To the Board of Selectmen and the Road Commissioners Lancaster, Massachusetts 01523 Gentlemen: NATIONAL REGISTER I have just received confirmation from the Chief of the listoric American Engineering Record (HAER) of the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.

C., that both the Atherton and Ponakin Bridges are f sirnificant historical importance and should be saved if at all possible. He states that "Both bridges date from the early 1870's anå are rare examples of the Post truss." "Taken together, the bridges comprise a unique pair of structures representing an important aspect of America's engineering heritage." "Many Post trusses were built throughout America, but the two in Lancaster are the only ones the HAER knows to survive." The town already has provided repair funds to maintain the Pona- kin Bridge operational at a minimum restricted load, and it is on a roadway that has very little traffic now since the new Lunenburg Road has been opened. The Atherton Bridge, however, has been closed for a number of years and is planned to be torn down aná replaced, and is on a road- way that would have heavy traffic if it were opened again.

With this confirmation of its significance, we should initiate new plans to save it. A way to do this would be first to leave the Atherton Bridge in its present location, and repair it enough to use it for foot traffic, horseback riding and other recreational uses. These uses would tie-in well with the Master Plan for the town, and the uses of the Neshua River Greenway in this area. Then second, nnove the highway south and build a new bridge there to support the traffic expected on this roaâ- way.. Enclosed is further information on historic truss bridges and their preservation. Sincerely, Khyiis le. Jarnowerth Phyll1s A. Farnsworth National Pegister Coordinator for Lancaster Historical Connission -12 Encl: Itr ata 7/26/78 from Douglas I. Griffin, HAER Infornation on Simeon S. Post Article, Sec 3, Executive Order 11593, Historic Bridge Preservation at the Conmunity Level - 4..

ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER MASSACHUSETTS STATE SEP 10 1979 Date Entered Name Atherton Bridge Ponakin Bridge International Trust Company Butlding Location Lancaster Worcester County Lancaster vicinity Worcester County Boston Suffolk County - Also Notified Honorable Paul G. Isongas Honorable Edward M. Kennedy Honorable Edward P. Boland Honorable John J. Moakley NR State Historic Preservation Officer Mrs. Patricia L. Weslowsk1 Executive Director Massachusetts #istorical Conmission 294 Washington Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108 Byers/bjr 9/18/79