Replacing an 1897 stone arch bridge (#8), this stone arch bridge had the longest span built by Butler County proper. Glencoe Township Little Walnut River BridgeĮxtant, but abandoned and on private property. It looks like a concrete bridge from the road, but the stonework is clearly visible below. A cantilevered concrete slab has been added to the bridge, allowing it to accommodate a two-lane blacktop. Originally a single-arch bridge, the bridge has seen several modifications, and was largely rebuilt in 1906 by Abe Matheney, who added the second full-sized arch. Bridge was extensively damaged by flooding in recent years but has been excellently restored.Įxtant. Only Butler County stone arch bridge listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Plum Grove & Milton township line Henry Creek BridgeĮxtant. One side of the bridge is buried while the other is still visible. No trace of the bridge or the slough it spanned are obvious it is possible the structure is intact but buried.Įxtant, but high and dry. Reported as collapsed several decades ago, the bridge has been heavily altered with concrete. Lincoln Township West Branch Walnut River BridgeĮl Dorado & Lincoln township line West Branch Walnut River BridgeĮxtant, but is/was scheduled for reconstruction in 2025. Bridge was greatly refurbished by the county in mid-2021. For the earlier bridges from the 1882 – 1898 period (# 1 – 13), see the first post in this series. Here are the stone arch bridges built by Butler County proper in the 1899 – 1903 period. The Ellis Bridge over the Walnut River was also too small, and in 1906 a second full-size span was added, replacing a 16 foot span which, apparently, was tacked on later. The Walz Ford Bridge, for instance, was still too small for its stream, and is now high and dry. The new bridges tended to be larger, though it was a little later before Butler County began consistently building sufficiently large stone bridges. Also, the 40-foot 1897 Whitewater River Bridge was replaced with a 50 foot span in 1903. In 1900, the 1895 Peter Johnson Bridge received a second, 30-foot arch. Though not entirely standardized, the county commissioners recognized the need for building their stone arch bridges larger in order to prevent washouts. 1899 – 1903įrom 1899 to 1903 Butler County began to build their bridges larger. Other contractors in Butler became more competitive as well, and Walter Sharp gradually ceased to build the majority of the stone bridges in Butler County. At this point, Walter Sharp began to concentrate his efforts in Cowley County. Pleased with what they saw, Cowley County began building the first of a long line of stone arch bridges. After viewing Butler County’s work, the Cowley commissioners then went to Greenwood County to see the work Greenwood had done along the same lines. Cowley County was not having much luck with steel bridges, and stone seemed to be a way for Cowley to obtain permanent, affordable bridges. In 1901, Cowley County commissioners visited Butler County with the idea of seeing the potential of stone arch bridges. By thus informing the steel bridge companies that the county was not dependent on them for bridges, Butler County was able to purchase steel bridges at a vastly lower price than most other counties. This statement seems to be further confirmed by later articles written by Walter Sharp himself. According to this article, Butler County commissioners simply warned the steel bridge manufacturers that, if the steel bridge companies would not give Butler a reasonable price, they would put in a stone bridge instead. In this article, they explained how the Butler County commissioners were not just building stone arch bridges, but were also using them as a tool to obtain affordable steel bridges. On October 24, 1899, The Walnut Valley Times ran an article announcing the completion of a stone arch bridge built by Walter Sharp over the Walnut River. The steel bridge companies held a sort of monopoly in Kansas, which monopoly various counties, with Butler County setting an example, eventually sought to break by building stone arch bridges. Steel bridges needed regular maintenance, and were expensive. The Steel Bridge Problemīy 1899, the only reasonable type of bridge, besides stone, that was readily available to counties was the steel bridge. In fact, the Greenwood County commissioners visited Butler County in the spring of 1899 for the purpose of seeing if they could go somewhere with stone arch bridges. Already Butler County was receiving attention in the rest of the state for its stone bridges. By 1899, Butler County, Kansas, was building stone arch bridges in earnest.
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