GO9), a flag station on the Northern Pacific Railway line, a general store and gas station, post office, school (now a community center), and other services and commercial and community

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DESIGN INFORMATION SuperstructureArchitectural or Decorative Features:

STRUCTURAL INFORMATION,

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Secondary SpansNumber

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Connections/Expansion JointsPin:Rigid:

Width: 1~·O c to c

Clearance:Navigable:

low water:

SubstructureFoundations:Piers/bents:Abutments:Wings:Sea ts:

high water:Load Limit:Existing Blueprints or Plans:Site Map:

- - - --- -- - ---- - -

SOUTH FORK/VAN ZANDT BRIDGE 1927/74 Sec 8 T38N R5E

37

I

31

, 37

3

37

Historic Property Inventory Report

Monday, September 22, 2014 Page 1 of 11

Near 5310 Potter Rd, Van Zandt, WA 98244

Location

DAHP No.

Historic Name: South Fork Nooksack River Bridge / Van Zandt Bridge

Field Site No.

Common Name: Potter Road Bridge / Potter Road South Fork Nooksack River Bridge Number 148

PRD-11-01

Property Address:

Comments:

WhatcomCounty

T38R05E 17Township/Range/EW Section 1/4 Sec 1/4 1/4 Sec

DEMINGQuadrangle

Tax No./Parcel No.

Plat/Block/Lot

Acreage

Supplemental Map(s)

Coordinate Reference

Projection:

Datum:

Easting:

Northing:

HARN (feet)

Washington State Plane South

1230494

1264989



Identification

Eileen Heideman

322 N. Commercial St.

Survey Name: Date Recorded:

Field Recorder:

Owner's Name: Whatcom County Public Works Department

01/19/2011

City: Bellingham

Classification: Structure

Resource Status: Comments:

State: WA Zip:

Within a District?

98225

No

Contributing?

National Register:

Local District:

National Register District/Thematic Nomination Name:

Owner Address:

Description

Narrative

Historic Use: Transportation - Road-Related (vehicular) Current Use: Transportation - Road-Related (vehicular)

Plan: Rectangle Stories: N/A Structural System: Steel

Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Interior: Not Applicable

Changes to Original Cladding: Not Applicable Changes to Windows: Not Applicable

Changes to Other:

Other (specify):

Style:

Form/Type:

Cladding:

Foundation:

Roof Type: Roof Material:

Science and EngineeringCommunity Planning/Development

TransportationStudy Unit Other

Date of Construction: Builder: Richard Elam Mieth, Portland Bridge Company

Survey/Inventory

Eligibility Status:

Determination Date:

Determination Comments:

Determined Eligible - SHPO

033010-07-FHWA determined on 10/19/2011

10/19/2011

MetalOther - Utilitarian None None

Concrete - Poured Bridge - Parker Truss

Potter Road Bridge

1974 Remodel

1927 Built Date



Architect:

Engineer: Carl McCoy, Whatcom County Supervising Engineer

Property appears to meet criteria for the National Register of Historic Places:Yes

Property is located in a potential historic district (National and/or local): unknown

Property potentially contributes to a historic district (National and/or local):

Richard Elam Mieth and The Portland Bridge Company

Carl McCoy

The Potter Road Bridge, also known as the South Fork Nooksack River Bridge at Van Zandt, the Van Zandt Bridge, and Bridge #148 carries Potter Road over the South Fork Nooksack River approximately one-third of a mile west of Van Zandt in Whatcom County, Washington. This structure was built to serve farms and logging camps west of the South Fork Nooksack River, connecting them to the highway (now State Route 9), a flag station on the Northern Pacific Railway line, a general store and gas station, post office, school (now a community center), and other services and commercial and community institutions in the community. Van Zandt was built in the valley of the South Fork Nooksack River, with much of the surrounding land under cultivation or pasturage for dairy farms. The Bellpack Lumber Company ran a sawmill east of the highway in the 1920s and logging camps in the hills three miles west of Van Zandt, providing employment for twenty-five to thirty men in the region. The need to move logs from Bellpack’s timber stands west of the river to the company sawmill on the east side of the river undoubtedly provided additional incentive to replace the aging timber truss bridge with a sturdier steel truss structure (Roth 1926a:864).

McCoy designed the bridge in March 1927 and the county advertised for bids on March 16. Eleven companies provided bids, and on April 6 the contract for construction of the bridge was awarded to the Portland Bridge Company, who had the lowest bid at $14,853. The county commissioners also ordered that the work be completed by July 15, 1927. The contract was signed on April 25, 1927, and the bridge was completed in July (“Contract for New Bridge is Let,” Deming Prospector, Deming, Washington, Friday, April 15, 1927:1; “Van Zandt Bridge Contract is Let,” Bellingham American, Bellingham, Washington, Friday April 8, 1927:5; Whatcom County Government records, Washington State Archives, Northwest Washington Region, Bellingham, Washington).

The bridge was designed in 1927 by Whatcom County supervising engineer Carl McCoy and built by the Portland Bridge Company to replace an earlier 116' timber Howe truss bridge (Whatcom County Auditor 1928; McCoy 1927). McCoy was born in Oregon in 1873 and lived in Walla Walla in 1910, but by 1912 had settled in Bellingham with his family to work as an architect and engineer. At the time he designed the bridge, Carl McCoy was well advanced in his career and had just recently accepted the job of County Engineer. McCoy held this position through 1932 and again in 1939. (Business Directory, Bellingham Herald, Bellingham, Washington, January 27, 1917; Bureau of the Census 1910 and 1920; Polk 1912:273; Polk 1938:276; Whatcom County Auditor 1928-1933, 1940).

Statement of Significance:



The Parker truss was developed by and later named after Charles H. Parker, a mechanical and civil engineer who had no experience with bridges prior to his tenure with the National Bridge and Iron Works. Parker patented his first bridge design in 1869 that consisted of a cantilever and bowstring truss combination. A few bridges of this design were constructed in Maine and New Brunswick, but Parker’s first patent never gained popularity. On February 22, 1870, Parker was awarded patent number 100,185 for the much simpler truss design that now bears his name (Darnell 1998; Parker 1870). The design of this bridge was somewhat similar to the earlier Pratt truss but it shortened the lengths of the vertical posts and diagonals with the use of a polygonal top chord. This design was ultimately cheaper to construct, as the shorter members decreased the cost of materials. The Parker truss became more common in the early twentieth century as steel replaced timber and wrought iron as the construction material of choice and other improvements were made to construction methods (Holstine and Hobbs 2005; Parsons Brinkerhoff and Engineering and Industrial Heritage 2005:3-34, 3-35).

The Portland Bridge Company was owned and managed by Richard Elam Mieth, a civil engineer and a 1905 graduate of the University of Kansas (University of Kansas 1947:26; American Society of Civil Engineers 1920:822). Mieth started his career in the Midwest with the Missouri Valley Bridge Company, but moved to Portland in 1910 and organized the Portland Bridge Company shortly thereafter (Oregonian 1947). Mieth and his company were responsible for the construction of several bridges throughout the northwest. Known examples include the Elwha River Bridge in Washington, The Start Street Bridge in Oregon, and the Orange Street Bridge in Montana. The Elwha River Bridge, a Warren deck truss bridge, was constructed in 1913 and was the oldest known deck truss in Washington State, but it had a low sufficiency rating and was removed from service in 2007 and was subsequently replaced. The Portland Bridge Company also constructed the Stark Street Bridge, a Parker through-truss bridge constructed in 1914 in Multnomah County, Oregon, and the Orange Street Bridge, a seven-span Warren deck truss bridge constructed in Missoula, Montana in 1937. Of these three structures, only the Stark Street Bridge is extant. Mieth died in an automobile accident in 1947 when his car veered off a bridge in Oregon (Axline 1999; Baughn 2012a and 2012b; Holstine and Hobbs 2005:215-216; “Plunge of Car Kills Portlander,” Oregonian, Portland, Oregon, January 14, 1947; University of Kansas 1947:26).Charles H. Parker and the Parker Truss Bridge



Baughn, John

1999Orange Street Bridge. Historic American Engineering Record No. MT-99. http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/mt/mt0300/mt0326/data/mt0326data.pdf, accessed July 2012.

2012aPortland Bridge Company. http://bridgehunter.com/category/builder/portland-bridge-co/, accessed July 2012.2012bElwha River Bridge. http://bridgehunter.com/wa/clallam/81092000000000/, accessed July 2012.

1920Proceedings of the American Society of Engineers, Vol. 46, No. 6, August 1920. American Society of Civil Engineers, New York.

American Society of Civil Engineers

Army Map Service

Axline, John

1951Map of Van Zandt Quadrangle, Whatcom County, Washington U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, scale 1:50,000.

Major Bibliographic References:

Piers and Abutments

Both approaches were constructed in 1974 to replace the original timber trestle spans. The west approach consists of earth fill that brings the road closer to the height of the bridge deck and a single span constructed of five precast concrete channel beams. The east approach consists of earth fill leading to two similar channel beam spans with a five-post timber pile bent supporting the joint between the east spans. Two similar pile bents support the approach spans at the abutments. The channel-beam spans are several feet wider than the main steel span and the roadway narrows abruptly as it reaches the stop signs at the main span.

The main span of the bridge rests on two cast-in-place concrete piers with a tapered oval cross-section, rectangular footings, and pier caps measuring 5’ by 25’. These piers are original to the 1927 construction and do not appear to have been altered. The abutments were constructed in 1974 and both consist of large precast concrete blocks stacked to form a retaining wall for the fill supporting the road. Five-pile timber bents are placed directly in front of the abutments to support the ends of the approach spans.

Center Span

This bridge consists of four spans with a total length of 243'. The main span is a riveted steel Parker through truss with a timber deck. The approach spans are concrete channel beam construction, with one span forming the west approach and two spans forming the east approach. Both approaches also have extensive fill east and west of the channel beam spans to bring the road level up to the height of the bridge deck. The main span rests on cast-in-place concrete piers, and the approaches are supported by the piers, three timber pile bents and precast concrete abutments.

Approach Spans

The main span is an eight-panel riveted steel Parker through truss measuring 150’ in length, 16’ (one lane) in width, and 24’-2” in height at the center. With the exception of the top and bottom lateral bracing, all metal bridge members are laced or battened for strength. The upper chord and four of the vertical posts on each side are laced, and the lower chord, the center and hip vertical posts and the diagonals are battened. One-foot timber curbs are located on either side of the bridge, which was retrofitted with W-beam guardrails in 1974, thus decreasing the usable width of the bridge to less than 15’. The bridge deck consists of transverse wood planks (the original wearing surface) that rest on 4x16 wood stringers. An asphalt wearing surface has been laid across the center of the deck, leaving a one-foot unpaved segment on the north and south sides to facilitate drainage through cuts in the timber curbs. The older wood plank surface is visible in these locations. Timber stringers may have been replaced in 1953 and possibly again in the 1970s. In 1981, new W8 I-beams were added to the underside of the bridge to increase capacity (McCoy 1927; Soderberg 1980; Whatcom County Public Works ca.1950-2011).

Description of Physical Appearance:



2005A Context for Common Historic Bridge Types. NCHRP Project 25-25, Task 15. Prepared for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Transportation Research Council, and National Research Council.

Parsons Brinkerhoff and Engineering and Industrial Heritage

1912Bellingham City Directory. R.L. Polk and Company, Seattle, Washington.

Polk, R.L. and Company

1929, 1935Atlas of Whatcom County, Washington. Metsker Map Company, Tacoma, Washington.

Metsker, Charles

1870Truss Bridge. No. 100,185, Patented Feb. 22, 1870. United States Patent Office.

Parker, Charles H.

Shantry, Kate, Eileen Heideman, and Brandy Rinck

Roth, Lottie Roeder

1938Bellingham City Directory. R.L. Polk and Company, Seattle, Washington.

1926bHistory of Whatcom County, Vol. 2: Biographical. Pioneer Historical Publishing, Chicago

1926aHistory of Whatcom County, Vol. 1. Pioneer Historical Publishing, Chicago.

1927 150 Foot Steel Span, Van Zandt Bridge, South Fork Nooksack River, Whatcom County, Washington. May 1927, Sheets B-53 through B-58, bridge plans on file at Whatcom County Public Works, Bellingham, Washington.

Darnell, Victor C.

2007“Aged Elwha bridge closed permanently in wake of Minnesota tragedy.” Peninsula Daily News, August 2, 2007. http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070803/NEWS/708030306, accessed July 2012.

George, O.R. and R.H. Krier

1998“The National Bridge and Iron Works and the Original Parker Truss,” Journal of the Society for Industrial Archaeology. Vol. 24, No. 2.

19101910 Federal Census, manuscript Population Schedule, Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.

Bureau of the Census

Casey, Jim

19201920 Federal Census, manuscript Population Schedule, Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.

Kroll Map Company

2005Spanning Washington: Historic Highway Bridges of the Evergreen State. Washington State University, Pullman, Washington.

McCoy, Carl

1942, 1956Atlas of Whatcom County, Washington. Kroll Map Company, Seattle, Washington.

Heideman, Eileen

2007So. Fk. Nooksack River (Van Zandt). 2007 Category 2 Bridges Evaluation Project, Structure ID 08074300, Washington State Department of Transportation, Olympia, Washington.

Holstine, Craig and Richard Hobbs

2012Potter Road South Fork Nooksack River Bridge Number 148, Van Zandt, Whatcom County, Washington, Level II Mitigation Documentation. SWCA Report Number 22614, SWCA Environmental Consultants, Seattle, Washington.



1933Auditor’s Annual Report of the Finances of Whatcom County Washington for the Year Ending December 31st 1932. Auditor’s Office, Bellingham, Washington.1940Auditor’s Annual Report of the Finances of Whatcom County Washington for the Year Ending December 31st 1939. Auditor’s Office, Bellingham, Washington.Whatcom County Department of Engineering

1930Auditor’s Annual Report of the Finances of Whatcom County Washington for the Year Ending December 31st 1929. Auditor’s Office, Bellingham, Washington.1931Auditor’s Annual Report of the Finances of Whatcom County Washington for the Year Ending December 31st 1930. Auditor’s Office, Bellingham, Washington.1932Auditor’s Annual Report of the Finances of Whatcom County Washington for the Year Ending December 31st 1931. Auditor’s Office, Bellingham, Washington.

Whatcom County Road Department

1959Official Map, Western Half Whatcom County, Washington. Scale ½ inch=1 mile. Revised December 1955, November 1959. Map on file at Northwest Regional Branch of the Washington State Archives, Bellingham, WA, File No. NW 950-90-13.

1967Road Map of Whatcom County, Washington. Prepared by the Whatcom County Department of Engineering in Cooperation with the Washington State Highway Department. Map on file at Northwest Regional Branch of the Washington State Archives, Bellingham, WA, File No. NW 950-90-13.Whatcom County Public Works

ca.1950-2011Bridge Files, North Fork Nooksack River Bridge No. 148, on file at Whatcom County Public Works Department, Bellingham, Washington.

United States Geological Survey

1919Map of Van Zandt Quadrangle, Whatcom County, Washington, scale 1:62,500.

United States Surveyor General

2011Cultural Resources Assessment for the Potter Road South Fork Bridge Number 148 Replacement, Whatcom County, Washington. NWAA Report No. WA 10-013, Northwest Archaeological Associates, Seattle, Washington.Soderberg, L.

1980Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Inventory for South Fork Van Zandt Bridge No. 148 (Site No. 1916). USDI- National Park Service Form 10-292. On file, Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, Olympia, WA.

Whatcom County Auditor

1928Auditor’s Annual Report of the Finances of Whatcom County Washington for the Year Ending December 31st 1927. Auditor’s Office, Bellingham, Washington.1929Auditor’s Annual Report of the Finances of Whatcom County Washington for the Year Ending December 31st 1928. Auditor’s Office, Bellingham, Washington.

1885General Land Office Map for Township 38 North, Range 5 East, Willamette Meridian. Olympia, Washington. Bureau of Land Management, Oregon State Office, Land Status and Cadastral Survey Records for Willamette Meridian, Oregon and Washington.University of Kansas

1947Obituary, Richard E. Mieth. Graduate Magazine of the University of Kansas, Volume 45, Issue 6. Lawrence, Kansas.



Photos

2011Potter Road bridge, view to the northwest.

2011West approach, view to the east.

2011Bridge, view to the southeast.

2011West approach, view to the east-southeast.



2011Underside of east approach, view to the southwest.

2011Bridge, view to the east-southeast.

2011East approach, view to the west.

2011

Underside of main span showing timber deck construction, view to the southwest.

2011

Bridge, view to the west; note timber deck with asphalt surface.

2011Main span and east approach, view to the northwest.



2011

Photo courtesy of Whatcom County Public Works.

East abutment and underside of approach span, view to the east.

Truss detail, view to the northeast.2011

2011

Courtesy Whatcom County Public Works

Timber trestle under east approach, view to the southeast.

Deck and paving detail, view to the east.2011



Bridge plans from 1927.Courtesy Whatcom County Public Works.

1927

1978East approach on November 17, 1978.

1927

Bridge plans from 1927, showing old and new trusses and old approach trestles.



Crosses South Fork Nooksack River,

Location

DAHP No.

Historic Name: South Fork Nooksack River Bridge

Field Site No.

Common Name: Whatcom County Bridge No. 148; Van Zandt Bridge

37-00105

Property Address:

Comments:

WhatcomCounty

T38R05E 08Township/Range/EW Section 1/4 Sec 1/4 1/4 Sec Quadrangle

Tax No./Parcel No.

Plat/Block/Lot

Acreage

Supplemental Map(s)

Coordinate Reference

Projection:

Datum:

Easting:

Northing:

HARN (feet)

Washington State Plane South

#Error

#Error



Identification

Survey Name: Date Recorded:

Field Recorder:

Owner's Name:

01/01/1900

City:

Classification:

Resource Status: Comments:

State: Zip:

Within a District?

Contributing?

National Register:

Local District:

National Register District/Thematic Nomination Name:

Owner Address:

Description

Narrative

Historic Use: Current Use:

Plan: Stories: Structural System:

Changes to Plan: Changes to Interior:

Changes to Original Cladding: Changes to Windows:

Changes to Other:

Other (specify):

Style:

Form/Type:

Cladding:

Foundation:

Roof Type: Roof Material:

Study Unit Other

Date of Construction:

Architect:

Engineer:

Property appears to meet criteria for the National Register of Historic Places:

Property is located in a potential historic district (National and/or local):

Property potentially contributes to a historic district (National and/or local):

Builder:

Eligibility Status:

Determination Date:

Determination Comments:

Not Determined - SHPO

1/1/0001

LEGACY DATA

Statement of Significance:



Major Bibliographic References:

Description of Physical Appearance:



Photos

Documents

GO9), a flag station on the Northern Pacific Railway line, a general store and gas station, post office, school (now a community center), and other services and commercial and community