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Fink-Type Truss Bridge

Coordinates: 40°36′14″N 74°54′08″W / 40.60389°N 74.90222°W / 40.60389; -74.90222
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Fink-Type Truss Bridge
Fink-Type Truss Bridge in 1971.
Fink-Type Truss Bridge is located in Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Fink-Type Truss Bridge
Fink-Type Truss Bridge is located in New Jersey
Fink-Type Truss Bridge
Fink-Type Truss Bridge is located in the United States
Fink-Type Truss Bridge
Nearest cityAllerton, New Jersey
Hamden, New Jersey
Coordinates40°36′14″N 74°54′08″W / 40.60389°N 74.90222°W / 40.60389; -74.90222
Built1857 (1857)
ArchitectTrenton Locomotive & Machine Manufacturing Co.
Architectural styleFink truss
NRHP reference No.74001161[1]
NJRHP No.1578[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 24, 1974
Designated NJRHPNovember 20, 1974

The Fink-Type Truss Bridge, also known as the Hamden Bridge, carried Hamden Road/River Road over the South Branch Raritan River, the border between Clinton Township and Franklin Township, at Hamden near the Allerton section of Hunterdon County, New Jersey. The bridge was built in 1857 by the Trenton Locomotive and Machine Manufacturing Company. It consisted of a single-span through truss 100 feet (30 m) long, 15 feet (4.6 m) wide, and 19 feet (5.8 m) high.[3]

The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 24, 1974, for its significance in engineering. At the time of its nomination, it was one of the earliest surviving iron truss bridges in the United States.[4] The Fink truss bridge was patented by Albert Fink in 1854, and the Hunterdon county bridge, built 3 years later, was a nearly perfect example of the patented design.[4] It collapsed as a result of an automobile collision in 1978. The remaining pieces were subsequently relocated to the Hunterdon County Government Center. It was documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in 1984, which included photos from 1971.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System – (#74001161)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Hunterdon County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Historic Preservation Office. March 23, 2022. p. 3.
  3. ^ a b Murphy, Kevin (June 1984). "Fink Through-Truss Bridge (Hamden Bridge)" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress.
  4. ^ a b Karschner, Terry (August 1974). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Fink-Type Truss Bridge". National Park Service. With accompanying 3 photos
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