Located just south of Chariton in a hunting preserve, this massive deck girder bridge crosses the Chariton River.
Little is known about the history of this bridge. While the line here was not built until 1913, the south span has a plaque from 1898 on it. In addition, the center span has a faded American Bridge logo, but no plaque. The north span is much shorter, and is built of twinned deck girders, likely a modification of another older span. The entire bridge rests on concrete substructures, which seem to date to 1913.
Historic aerials seem to show a different open deck bridge here in 1938, while this bridge is here in the 1950s. It is possible that the original bridge was damaged in a derailment or a flood. Other bridges along this line all use ballasted decks.
The south span is particularly unique, due to the King Bridge Company plaque. This type of plaque is not commonly seen. At 90 feet long, it is unknown where this span may have come from. The center span is 100 feet long, a particularly lengthy span. The north span is 35 feet long, and twinned. Typically, spans were twinned if they needed to be strengthened. It is unknown where the north or south spans may have come from.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition.
The author has ranked the bridge as being moderately significant, due to the relocated nature of the bridge.
The photo above is an overview.