Stone Bridge (Manassas)

Stone Bridge crosses Bull Run at the eastern entrance of the Manassas National Battlefield Park. The original bridge, built in 1825, was destroyed during the First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) on July 21, 1861, the first major land battle of the American Civil War. In 1884, a new bridge, similar to the original design, was built on the site of the old bridge.

LANDMARK PROFILE
  • Also Known As: Fauquier and Alexandria Turnpike Bridge
  • Battlefield: Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, Virginia
  • Location: Crossing Bull Run Creek near U.S. Route 29
  • Map Coordinates: +38° 49' 27.46", -77° 30' 13.48"
  • Built: 1825, Destroyed with Explosives by Confederates on July 21, 1861
  • Rebuilt: 1884, Repaired & Stabilized 1960, 2017-2018
  • Construction: 158' Stone two arch bridge
  • Architect: Fauquier and Alexandria Turnpike Company
  • Cost in 1825: $1,500.00
  • Current Owner: National Park Service
  • Admission: Free and open to the general public
  • LOC Record: HAER VA-66

HISTORY OF STONE BRIDGE

Originally built of native sandstone in 1825, the turnpike bridge over Bull Run became an important landmark in the Civil War battles at Manassas. Its ability to carry traffic across the steep sided stream even at times of high water gave the Stone Bridge a key role in the Civil War. Both sides recognized its strategic importance. Union Brig. Gen. Daniel Tyler's division feigned an attack on Col. Nathan G. Evans's brigade guarding the bridge as the First Battle of Bull Run began on the morning of July 21, 1861.

On March 9, 1862, the Confederates evacuated their winter camps in Centreville and Manassas in anticipation of fighting closer to Richmond. On orders from General Joseph E. Johnston, the Confederate rear guard blew up the Stone Bridge to prevent its use by the Union forces that soon occupied the area.

Union Army engineers eventually constructed a temporary wooden span across Bull Run using the remaining bridge abutments. This bridge served Union General John Pope's army at the Second Battle of Manassas, August 28-30, 1862. After suffering another costly defeat, Union forces used the Warrenton Turnpike bridge as their primary line of retreat. In the early hours of August 31, the bridge was again destroyed, this time by the Union rear guard.

In 1886, the Stone Bridge was reconstructed in stone on the location of the 1825 span. Some portions of the abutments may survive from the wartime structure. The new bridge, similar to the original bridge, remained open to traffic until 1926 when a modern highway bridge was constructed downstream. In 1928, the United Daughters of the Confederacy erected a small pyramid monument on the bridge.

The National Park Service acquired the Stone Bridge in 1959. Around 1960, Manassas National Battlefield Park performed an extensive restoration on the historic structure in preparation for the 100th Anniversary of First Manassas in 1961.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
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Ruins of Stone Bridge, Bull Run, Alexander Gardner, March 1862, LOC

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New bridge built by McDowell's engineers, photographer's wagon at left, Tomothy O'Sullivan, August 1862, LOC

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NPS Photo, ca. 1900

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NPS Photo, 1923

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Stone Bridge photograph taken from the new bridge. The Stone Bridge was closed to automobile traffic in 1925. NPS Photo, 1936

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In the 1920s, the State Department of Highways diverted turnpike traffic to a newly built concrete bridge,
downstream of the Stone Bridge. NPS Photo, 1940


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Taken from the modern bridge that crosses Bull Run. The amount of vines, weeds, and other vegetation seen
growing on the structure slowly posed a risk to the integrity of the bridge. NPS Photo, June 18, 1952


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Stone Bridge, during flooding caused by severe weather. NPS Photo, 1960

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Flooding after storm. NPS Photo, July 12, 2013

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