Identification Historic Name Bridge 90990 Current Name Bridge 90990 Field # Address N/A 273rd Street over Washington Creek City/Twp Dassel County Meeker Legal Desc. Twp 119 Range 29 Sec 3 QQ NWSW USGS Quad KINGSTON UTM Zone 15N Datum NAD83 Easting 396752 Northing 4999884 Property ID (PIN) SHPO Inventory Number Review and Compliance Number Form (New or Updated) Updated Linear Feature? No HPC Status: Unknown Resource Type Structure Architect/Engineer Unknown Style No Style Construction Date 1908 Original Use Transportation Current Use Transportation Description Description Bridge 90990 is a stone arch bridge built in 1908. It is located approximately four miles north of the City of Dassel, in Dassel Township, Meeker County, Minnesota. The bridge is in a rural setting and carries a gravel township road known as 273rd Street along a northwest-southeast alignment over Washington Creek. Bridge 90990 is a single-span stone arch bridge with a structure length of 14 feet, a span length of 11 feet, and an out-and-out width of 18 feet. The bridge is built into the shallow embankments on either side of Washington Creek. The structure is constructed of what appears to be locally quarried, rough cut, fieldstone (mostly granite) blocks with irregular coursing. The semicircular arch has a span length of 11 feet. The voussiors are split fieldstones that measure approximately 16 inches in width and 24 inches in height. Flush masonry joints throughout the entire structure are between one and two inches thick (Hess 1987). The bridge does not have parapet walls or a capstone course. Modern, W-beam style galvanized steel railings with end buffers have been added to the sides of the structure and are supported by four steel, C-channel posts on each side, which have been bolted into the faces of the spandrel walls. The deck is surfaced with gravel. Integrity - Bridge 90990 remains in its original location and retains its setting; the rural township road which this bridge was built to serve still retains its rural road characteristics as well. Therefore, the bridge retains good integrity of location, setting, feeling and association. Few records exist to document any potential changes to this bridge over time. However, it is known that the pipe railings that were present in 1987 were replaced with modern guard rails in 1999. Additionally, according to a MnDOT inspection report, the mortar joints have been tuckpointed at least once over time. The new mortar is lighter in color than the original mortar, and mortar covers the edges of some of the fieldstones on the spandrels; there appears to have been little regard to mimicking the historic joints. However, the joints in the arch retain their historic proportions and profiles. The new guard rail and tuckpointing work are typical of the ongoing maintenance and upkeep required to enable these types of bridges to maintain their historic use. While these alterations may stand out from the original appearance of the bridge, they do not dramatically obscure the original design of the bridge from which the bridge primarily achieves its significance. According to the Minnesota Masonry-Arch Highway Bridges MPDF, the integrity of masonry-arch highway bridges can be seriously compromised when alterations produce a noticeable change in the original design of the masonry arch, which is the defining characteristic of this engineering type. The most common loss of integrity results from concrete additions, whether in the form of a concrete arch, or a concrete slab which overhangs the arch so that the stone arch is no longer visible (Hess 1989:F-3). Such dramatic changes are not present on Bridge 90990, and the bridge has generally good integrity of design, materials, and workmanship. Overall, the bridge meets the integrity requirements of the Minnesota Masonry-Arch Highway Bridges MPDF and retains sufficient integrity to convey its historic significance.
EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS Historical Context Minnesota Masonry-Arch Highway Bridges, 1870-1945 Historical Narrative Dassel Township in Meeker County was originally organized as Swan Lake Township in the fall of 1866. In 1871, the township name was changed to Dassel, after the name of the village within the township s boundaries. Dassel Township and the City of Dassel are named for Bernard Dassel, who was secretary of the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company (StP&P). The town of Dassel was laid out and platted by the StP&P in 1869, as the railroad was extended through this location from St. Anthony, Minnesota towards Breckenridge, Minnesota (Alden Ogle & Company 1888:561-563). A plat map of Dassel Township from 1907 indicates that a road was extant along the present-day alignment of 273rd Street (Barton 1907:10). Though the road is indicated as crossing Washington Creek, Bridge 90990 was not erected until 1908. It is unknown if a prior structure was located at this crossing; research conducted at Dassel Township, the City of Dassel, the Dassel Historical Society, the Meeker County Historical Society, and Meeker County did not yield information on any previous structures. The split fieldstone of the spandrel walls of Bridge 90990 matches the glacial erratic scatters in the adjacent fields (Hess 1988:E5). The use of local fieldstone likely indicates that a local resident constructed the bridge using materials that were readily accessible. However, historic research at Dassel Township, the City of Dassel, the Dassel Historical Society, the Meeker County Historical Society, and Meeker County did not yield information on the construction, history, or the name of engineer and/or builder of Bridge 90990. The lack of information available to document Bridge 90990 is not untypical of research on these types of bridges. Jeffrey Hess notes in the historic context Minnesota Masonry-Arch Highway Bridges 1870-1945 that primary sources are remarkably uncooperative in providing information regarding the construction and funding of masonryarch highway bridges (Hess 1989:E-2). Hess continues, stating that since there is so little documentary data on Minnesota masonry-arch bridge construction, the surviving bridges themselves must serve as the principal source of information (Hess 1989:E-3). In 1987, Hess surveyed Bridge 90990 as part of a statewide bridge inventory. At that time, the bridge was noted as having pipe -metal railings; these railings also appear in photographs taken during the survey (Hess 1987). It is unknown if these railings were original to the structure, or a later addition. According to a Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) bridge inspection form, these railings were replaced in 1999 with the current steel guard rails (MnDOT 2012). The same inspection report notes that there has been extensive mortar joint repair to the entire barrel and structure walls, and that the mortar is in excellent condition (MnDOT 2012). Records of any additional changes, alterations, or repairs to this bridge have not been found. Significance In 1989, the National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form: Minnesota Masonry-Arch Highway Bridges (Minnesota Masonry-Arch Highway Bridges MPDF) was published. The Minnesota Masonry-Arch Highway Bridges MPDF states that a structure can be eligible for the NRHP under Criterion C if in its setting, form, scale, masonry, and ornamentation, it is highly representative of one of the three basic categories of country, city, or park masonry-arch highway bridges (Hess 1989:F-4). Within the Minnesota Masonry-Arch Highway Bridges MPDF, Bridge 90990 is highlighted as an example of a country bridge that was constructed of local stone. A country bridge is defined by the Minnesota Masonry-Arch Highway Bridges MPDF as a bridge constructed of rubble masonry with mortar joints of at least one inch; one or two semicircular arches with spans between 10 and 15 feet; simple stone or metal railings (which often have been removed); and an overall structure width of about 18 to 20 feet (Hess 1989:E-3). The Minnesota Masonry-Arch Highway Bridges MPDF also states that these bridges rely on their symmetry and proportions for whatever aesthetic statement they make; ornamentation of any type, including datestones, is extremely rare (Hess 1989:E-3). Indeed, a visual inspection
and the characteristics of Bridge 90990 itself serves as the primary evaluation of the bridge s historic significance. The characteristics of Bridge 90990 exemplify the defining features of masonry arch country bridges as identified in the Minnesota Masonry-Arch Highway Bridges MPDF. Bridge 90990 is located on a remote farm road, as is typical of such bridges. Additionally, the bridge is constructed of local granite fieldstone and has masonry joints of one to two inches. The bridge has one semicircular arch with a span length of 11 feet, which falls in the 10 to 15 foot range typical of country bridges. The bridge s width is noted as 18 feet, again typical of country bridges. In terms of ornamentation, Bridge 90990 is significant as an example of country bridge with a datestone, as the date 1908 has been carved into a stone on the south spandrel wall on the southwest elevation. The Minnesota Masonry-Arch Highway Bridges MPDF notes that such indication of a construction date is extremely rare on country bridges, which often have little to no documentation to identify a construction date. Bridge 90990 meets the physical characteristic requirements of a country bridge in its setting, form, scale, masonry, and ornamentation, as defined in the registration requirements contained in the Minnesota Masonry-Arch Highway Bridges MPDF. Additionally, Bridge 90990 stands out among country bridges as it is an extremely rare example with a datestone. As such, Bridge 90990 is eligible for the NRHP under Criterion C, as a country masonry-arch highway bridge. The period of significance for the bridge is 1908, the year in which it was constructed. Recommendation Bridge 90990 exemplifies a country masonry-arch highway bridge as identified by the Minnesota Masonry-Arch Highway Bridges MPDF. The bridge includes character-defining features, such as its locally quarried fieldstone construction, its one semicircular arch with a span length of 11 feet, and its overall structure length and width. It is also significant as an extremely rare example of a masonry-arch country bridge with a datestone. Constructed in 1908, the bridge has had few alterations over time. None of the alterations obscure the original design of the bridge, which is the primary evaluation of the bridge s historic significance. As such, the bridge retains sufficient historic integrity to convey its significance as a country masonry-arch highway bridge. Therefore, Bridge 90990 is recommended as eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion C, as an example of a country masonry-arch highway bridge within the Minnesota Masonry-Arch Highway Bridges 1870-1945 MPDF. The recommended period of significance is 1908, corresponding with the year the bridge was constructed. Sources Alden Ogle & Company 1888 Album of History and Biography of Meeker County, Minnesota. Alden Ogle & Company, Chicago, Illinois. Barton, I. D. 1907 Plat Book of Meeker County Minnesota. I. D. Barton, St. Cloud, Minnesota. Hess, Jeffrey 1987 MNDOT No. 90990 Statewide Bridge Survey Inventory Form. Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul, Minnesota. On file at the State Historic Preservation Office, St. Paul, Minnesota. 1989 National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form: Minnesota Masonry-Arch Highway Bridges 1870-1945. Prepared by Jeffrey Hess. On file at the State Historic Preservation Office, St. Paul, Minnesota. Minnesota Department of Transportation [MnDOT] 2012 MnDOT Bridge Inspection Report Bridge 90990. Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul, Minnesota. National Register Status Considered Eligible Finding Consultant's Recommendation of Eligibility Eligible - Individual
Prepared By Kelli Andre Kellerhals The 106 Group Ltd. Date Surveyed 7/15/2013
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