Completed by Army engineers sometime between 1834 and 1837 as part of the Old National Road between Cumberland, Maryland, and Vandalia, Illinois, this bridge belonged to the nation's first federally financed highway, authorized by the enabling act of 1803. It is a prime example of stone-building art and early American engineering, with stones precisely cut and fitted together without bond or mortar. Although many stone arch bridges were built along the Cumberland Road, this one alone was still in use at the time of dedication.
