This small bridge is the oldest metal truss bridge and the only surviving example of its type in Virginia. It was built in 1877-78 over Stony Run in Bedford County, later moved to a site over Roaring Run in Bedford County, and remained in highway service there until the 1970s. Moving metal truss bridges from one location to another was a common practice. In 1977, VDOT moved it to this location because of its historic significance so it could serve as a pedestrian bridge. The Bowstring Truss takes its name from the curved shape of its top chord, which resembles an archery bow. Designed and built by the King Bridge and Manufacturing Company of Cleveland, Ohio, it reflects designs patented by Zenas King in the 1860s. Its deck components hang from the arched top chord and are connected to the arch at the abutments by a lower chord using threaded nuts. With the top chord in compression and the lower chord in tension, sagging of the deck can be corrected by adjusting the nuts. Unlike later metal truss bridges made from steel, this Bowstring Truss is made from wrought iron with cast-iron connectors. It is listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places, and it is documented by the Historic American Engineering Record and archived in the Library of Congress.