General Dean Suspension Bridge
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The General Dean Suspension Bridge, ca. 2000
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Location: | Carlyle, Clinton County, Illinois, USA |
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Built: | 1859 |
NRHP Reference#: | 73000693 |
Added to NRHP: | April 3, 1973[1] |
The General Dean Suspension Bridge is named after Major General William F. Dean. Dean served during the Korean War and was a native of Carlyle, Illinois, which is where the bridge spans the Kaskaskia River in Clinton County. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was added to the Register in 1973.[2]
The General William F. Dean Suspension Bridge was originally constructed in 1859 at a cost of $40,000. The original bridge remained in operation for nearly seventy years.[3] Before the bridge was constructed travelers were forced to cross the Kaskaskia at Carlyle by ferry or over a mud bridge.[4] In 1950 the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) recognized the bridge for its architectural significance. HABS recommended preservation of the bridge.[5] The Illinois General Assembly set aside $20,000 for bridge restoration in 1951 and in 1953 the bridge received its current nomenclature and was named after Major General Dean.[3]
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