Washington Avenue Bridge
Washington Avenue Bridge in 2012
Washington Avenue Bridge is located in Texas
Washington Avenue Bridge
Washington Avenue Bridge
Washington Avenue Bridge is located in the United States
Washington Avenue Bridge
Washington Avenue Bridge
LocationWashington and Elm Aves. across Brazos River, Waco, Texas
Coordinates31°33′40″N 97°7′43″W / 31.56111°N 97.12861°W / 31.56111; -97.12861
Arealess than one acre
Built1902 (1902)
ArchitectJ.H. Sparks
Architectural stylePennsylvania through-truss
NRHP reference No.98000143[1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 20, 1998

The Washington Avenue Bridge in Waco, Texas was built in 1902 and was then the longest single-span vehicular truss bridge in Texas. It has a 450-foot (140 m) span across the Brazos River. It provided for traffic circulation in addition to that provided by the 1870-built Waco Suspension Bridge one block downriver (east).[2]

The bridge cost $93,399 for its construction, not including $1,850 for railings and approach spans. Its cost was split by McLennan County and the City of Waco, which became equal owners.[2]

A Black man named Sank Majors was lynched at the bridge in 1905, hung from a crossbeam by a white mob. Another Black man, Jim Lawyer, was attacked for objecting to the lynching. Texas Rangers looked on the violence and did not intervene.[3]

The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Matthew Haberling (April 1, 1997). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Washington Avenue Bridge". National Archives. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help) (accessible by searching within National Archives Catalog)
  3. Minutaglio, Bill (2021). A Single Star and Bloody Knuckles: A History of Politics and Race in Texas. University of Texas Press. p. 77. ISBN 9781477310366.

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