Near Jasper in Newton County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)

Old Buffalo River Bridge

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 22, 2023

1. Old Buffalo River Bridge Marker

Inscription. This is the site of the Old Buffalo River Bridge also known as the Pruitt Bridge. The Arkansas Highway Department designed the bridge in one day. Fred Luttjohann of Topeka, Kansas built it in 1931 for a contract bid of $55,226.09. The Virginia Bridge and Iron Company of Roanoke, Virginia fabricated the trusses. Bridge work began on July 18, 1931 with a building period of 210 days. It was a 375-foot bridge comprised of a 160-foot center span of Pennsylvania through truss design with a modified top chord, two 80-foot Warren pony truss spans. and a 55-foot reinforced concrete deck girder approach span on the south end. Construction of this Bridge falls under the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department Era: 1923-1939. The Old Buffalo River Bridge. was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on April 9, 1990. The Bridge was demolished in 2020.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Bridges & Viaducts. A significant historical year for this entry is 1931.

Location. 36° 3.605′ N, 93° 8.356′ W. Marker is near Jasper, Arkansas, in Newton County. It is on State Highway 7 0.2 miles

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south of County Road 80, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5602 Highway 7, Jasper AR 72641, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Arkansas’ Ozark Plateau

and in Osage Territory.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Ozarks.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Arkansas Marble in Washington’s Monument (approx. 2.8 miles away); Civil War in Newton County / Newton County Civil War Troops (approx. 4½ miles away); Newton County (approx. 4½ miles away); Newton County Veterans Memorial (approx. 4½ miles away); Boone County Caravan Spring (approx. 8.1 miles away); 1893 Queen Anne House Bed & Breakfast (approx. 11.7 miles away); The Original Harrison High School

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 22, 2023

2. Old Buffalo River Bridge Marker

The modern replacement bridge is in the background.

(approx. 11.8 miles away); The People's National Bank (approx. 11.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jasper.

Also see . . . Buffalo River Bridge (PDF). National Register nomination for the bridge, which was delisted in 2022. (National Archives) (Submitted on June 7, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Old Buffalo River Bridge image. Click for full size.

Louise T. Taft via Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (Public Domain), 1988

3. Old Buffalo River Bridge

General view of the bridge, looking southeast.

Louise T. Taft via Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (Public Domain), 1988

4. Old Buffalo River Bridge

View from the bridge deck, looking southwest.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 24, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 618 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 7, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.