A Glenville bridge made West Virginia's 2009 Endangered Properties List, and it still is.
The bridge is waiting for some funding for restoration, further complicated about who actually owns it.
The Old Pratt Truss Bridge was built in 1885, a Little Kanawha River span decommissioned and is in critical need of maintenance and repair.
It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1998.
Begun in the 1980s and revitalized in recent years, the Endangered Properties List is compiled annually by the Preservation Alliance to direct attention to historic structures that are at risk from neglect or development.
The endangered list serves as "testaments to the abilities of West Virginia craftsmen and workers," and are connections to the past that "help weave the story of West Virginia," said Jeremy Morris, vice president of the Preservation Alliance and chairman of its endangered properties committee.
The Glenville Truss Bridge is located within the central business district of Glenville, designed in 1885 by Stewart, Shirreffs & Co. of Richmond, Virginia and was
fabricated by the Wrought Iron Bridge Builder Company of Canton, Ohio.
The super-structure is a steel pinned Pratt
Through Truss design, meaning that the truss supports have a height restriction and that it is pinned and not welded
together.
The overall length of the bridge is 240 feet, 6 inches. The bridge consists of three spans: the north pony truss
span is 43 feet, 6 inches; the main through truss span is 147 feet; and the south pony truss span is 47 feet long.
The
three foot difference is for a 1.5 foot gap between the spans to allow for proper expansion of materials and load
specifications.
There is a pedestrian walkway or sidewalk, on the down river
side of the decking.
The bridge was built for $13,132.
The Glenville Truss Bridge was important to the development of Gilmer County, especially for Glenville
as the county seat.
It served the county for almost 80 years as a vehicular bridge.
| 
