Ditch Rd. / Shiawassee River

County: Saginaw

City/Township: Chesaning Twp.

Location: Ditch Rd. / Shiawassee River

Year Built: 1889

About this Bridge:
The Parshallburg Bridge is the oldest surviving Thacher truss in the United States. Edwin Thacher developed and patented this hybrid truss in 1883. The Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio, a prolific bridge builder in Michigan and the mid-west, was the builder of the Parshallburg Bridge.

The eight-panel structure has a length of 140 feet and an overall deck width of 17.8 feet. It stands on extensive abutment of rubble fieldstone, and is now closed to traffic.