Read Township Culvert

• Year constructed: 1899
• Bridge type: Stone Arch Culvert
• National Register of Historic Places status: Listed
• Length: 14 feet
• Width: 16.6 feet
• Spans: 1
• Jurisdiction: Clayton County
• Address: Harbor Road over the Bente Branch, 4.4 miles southeast of Garnavillo, Section 33, T93N-R4W (Read Township).

Details

At the turn of the century, Clayton County contracted with a variety of firms and individuals to build bridges across the county's myriad streams and ditches. For longer-span crossings (often across the Turkey River) the county opted for iron or steel trusses, whereas at shorter crossings, rudimentary timber stringer structures were often erected. For some crossings, though, the county took advantage of the area's limestone quarries and erected arch bridges built of stone. Constructed by numerous local stone masons, these crossings have maintained a higher degree of structural integrity than either their timber or steel stringer counterparts. The most notable of Clayton County's stone arches is Byrne and Blake's 189-foot Keystone Bridge, built over the Turkey River at Elkader in 1888-89.

A typical example of stone arch construction is the Read Township Culvert, located some 4.5 miles southeast of Garnavillo, in central Clayton County. On January 2, 1900, local contractors Stoops and Williamson were paid $814.25 for the erection of this stone arch bridge. Stone for the project was likely obtained from either the Motor Quarry near Motor Mill or Coles Quarry near Elkader. Today, this bridge exhibits an exceptionally high degree of craftsmanship and historical integrity

Adapted from Fraser 1991