West Washington Street Bridge - New Castle PA

The West Washington Street Bridge, which spans the Shenango River in New Castle, is seen here in c1876. It was built by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio, in the early 1870’s. The river was much wider back then and was soon about half that width. The old canal dam can be seen to the right and the towpath of the former Beaver & Erie Canal is visible along the far bank. The First Christian Church (minus its tall steeple?) is visible in background, while the old St. Mary’s Catholic Church is visible to far left. The bridge was the center of ongoing dispute between the city/county and the PRR, which later built tracks underneath the both sides of the bridge. Street cars also ran across this bridge and it required constant repair. It was replaced in 1904 with a newer bridge, which was in service until replaced with a modern span in 1975-76. Full Size