Forder Bridge
This historical bridge was built on this site in 1889. The bridge was named after a local landowner, George Forder, who built the stone abutment and pier. The steel truss was built by Milwaukee Bridge and Iron Works. It was 356 feet long and 24 feet high and was built 28 feet above the Maumee River.
The structure was a Pratt Through Truss. The term Pratt refers to the arrangement of the diagonals. The term through refers to the fact that there is overhead steel bracing, and one would drive through the bridge not over it. It was one of the first Pratt Through Trusses built in Ohio with steel instead of iron. At the time of its removal in 1995, it was the oldest steel Pratt Through Truss in Ohio having served the traveling public for 106 years. The abutments and pier were made of laid up stone without any mortar in the joints.
This monument is a tribute to the incredible workmanship of our forefathers in building this magnificent structure that lasted for over a century.
Erected 1996 by Mark R. Stockman, Paulding County Engineer.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Bridges & Viaducts. A significant historical year for this entry is 1889.
Location. 41° 13.391′ N, 84° 40.187′ W. Marker is near Cecil, Ohio, in Paulding
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Black Swamp and in the Till Plains. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Maumee River: Lifeblood Then and Now (approx. 3.9 miles away); Voices of the Maumee: (approx. 3.9 miles away); Oliver Crane (1791-1854) (approx. 3.9 miles away); Horatio Nelson Curtis (1802-1874) (approx. 3.9 miles away); New Rochester (approx. 3.9 miles away); Look to the Skies - Bald Eagles at New Rochester Park (approx. 3.9 miles away); About New Rochester Park (approx. 3.9 miles away); a different marker also named New Rochester (approx. 3.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cecil.
Another marker is no longer nearby. The Reservoir War (was approx. 2.2 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Credits. This page was last revised on June 10, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 6, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 882 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 6, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
