Rogers Street Bridge
Waxahachie, Ellis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Located on an early Waxahachie Creek fording site that served pioneer settlers of the area, this truss bridge was built in 1889. It was manufactured by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio, and was one of thirteen approved by Ellis County commissioners from 1888 to 1890. The span provided an extension for Rogers Street, a road named for Emory Rogers, donor of the Waxahachie townsite. As part of an important early North-South commercial route, the Rogers Street Bridge was vital to the growth and development of the city.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Where pioneers once forded Waxahachie Creek, Ellis County commissioners in 1889 spanned the water with an iron truss bridge—one of thirteen they ordered from the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio, between 1888 and 1890. The span carried Rogers Street, named for Emory Rogers, who had donated the townsite itself. As a link in an important north-south commercial road, the bridge helped the growing town move goods and people.
Why it matters
Mass-produced iron truss bridges like this one knit rural America together in the late 1800s, replacing fords and ferries and quietly powering the commerce of a thousand county-seat towns.
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Related people
- · Emory Rogers
Themes & tags
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