Near Canton in Haywood County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

West Fork Pigeon River Truss Bridge (1891)

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 25, 2023

1. West Fork Pigeon River Truss Bridge (1891) Marker

Inscription. This Pratt through-truss bridge, known as Truss Bridge #79, was fabricated by the Phoenix Bridge Co. in 1891 and was originally erected about a mile downstream. When replaced with a larger bridge in the 1920s, the old iron bridge was relocated by local farmers to this site on the West Fork of the Pigeon River.

It is the state's oldest metal truss bridge and the only example that incorporates structural members called Phoenix columns, patented in 1862.

Erected by Bethel Rural Community Organization.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Bridges & Viaducts. A significant historical year for this entry is 1891.

Location. 35° 27.819′ N, 82° 54.009′ W. Marker is near Canton, North Carolina, in Haywood County. It is at the intersection of Lake Logan Road (State Road 1111) and Ideal Way, on the right when traveling north on Lake Logan Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Waynesville NC 28786, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Mountains, specifically in Greater Asheville,

and in the Great Smoky Mountains.

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It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Calvin Filmore Christopher (approx. 1.3 miles away); Pigeon Gap Watering Hole (approx. 2.4 miles away); Rutherford Trace (approx. 2.4 miles away); Inman Chapel (approx. 2.6 miles away); Osborne Boundary Oak Tree (approx. 2.7 miles away); Lenoir's Creek Devon Cattle Farm (approx. 3 miles away); Sunburst (approx. 3.2 miles away); Garden Creek (approx. 4.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Canton.

Also see . . . West Fork Pigeon River Pratt Truss Bridge (PDF). National Register nomination for the bridge, which was listed in 2019. (N.C. Department

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 25, 2023

2. West Fork Pigeon River Truss Bridge (1891) Marker

of Natural and Cultural Resources) (Submitted on July 28, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

West Fork Pigeon River Truss Bridge and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 25, 2023

3. West Fork Pigeon River Truss Bridge and Marker

Detail of Phoenix Column image. Click for full size.

Jet Lowe, Historic American Engineering Record via Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Div (Public Domain), 2003

4. Detail of Phoenix Column

The Williams Road Bridge in Chapmanville, Penn. also has these rare patented Phoenix columns, which were manufactured by the Phoenix Bridge Company of Phoenixville, Penn. Used primarily as compression members, the prefabricated columns were stronger and could handle heavier loads than other designs at the time.