Half Chance Iron Bridge

The Half Chance Iron Bridge, also known as the Half-Chance Bridge, is a historic single span wrought iron bridge located near the small community of Half Chance, between the towns of Linden and Dayton in rural Marengo County, Alabama. It is on Marengo County Road 39 over Chickasaw Bogue Creek.[1] The bridge is the oldest surviving iron bridge in Alabama, making it an important transportation and engineering landmark for the state.[1]

Half Chance Bridge
Coordinates	32°18′50″N 87°42′14″W
Crosses	Chickasaw Bogue Creek
Locale	Half Chance, Alabama
Official name	Half Chance Iron Bridge
Characteristics
Design	tied-arch bridge
Material	wrought iron
Width	12 feet (3.7 m)
Longest span	100 feet (30 m)
History
Constructed by	King Bridge Company
Construction end	1880
Half-Chance Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	Marengo County, Alabama, United States
Nearest city	Dayton, Alabama
Coordinates	32°18′44″N 87°42′04″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1880
Architect	King Iron Bridge Manufacturing Company
NRHP reference No.	72000166[1][2]
Added to NRHP	September 14, 1972

County Road 39 has been moved over the years. The Half Chance Iron Bridge is approximately 1/4 mi. to the South and on private property.

Half Chance Iron Bridge is a 12-foot (3.7 m) wide tied-arch bridge with a span of 100 feet (30 m). It was built by the King Iron Bridge Manufacturing Company of Cleveland, Ohio in 1880.[1] King Iron Bridge Manufacturing Company was founded in 1871 by Zenas King. As early as 1878 it was manufacturing many types of truss, combination, and wooden bridges and by the 1880s it was the largest highway bridge works in the United States.[3]

The bridge was reported as destroyed in a flood between 2008 and 2012. The structure no longer exists.[4]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "Alabama: Marengo County". "Nationalhistoricalregister.com". Retrieved 2008-03-05.
3. "King Iron Bridge & Manufacturing Company". "The Cleveland Memory Project". Retrieved 2008-03-05.
4. "Half Chance Iron Bridge". Retrieved 7 April 2017.