King Iron Bridge Company
Cleveland, Ohio
These King Iron bridge signs were from bridges
in the Central Illinois area in 1968.
The 1888 King overhead bridge sign was
collected from the pictured bridge near Edwards, about 8 miles west of Peoria, in Central Illinois. I had my eye on this sign for several months. Then I saw in the newspaper that it was to be torn down as a new road
was being built nearby. Early on the next Sunday morning, I threw a long ladder in a truck, gathered up my father and, after a long struggle, were able to remove the sign without damaging it. The sign is 42 wide by 15 high.
The arched King Iron bridge was located in
Warren County one mile east and 4 miles north of Monmouth. Its bridge sign was a oval design with a patent date of July 30, 1867. It is 4 1/2 high by 12 1/2 wide. Father and Brother adorn the bridge.
These are examples of what happened to a lot of
the bridge signs that were mounted flat on a plate girder. The rust over years would build up under the sign and finally pop the sign off. These signs were dug out of the dirt and grass at the base of a
1889 King bridge located 11 miles east and 7 miles north of Bloomington and a 1885 King bridge located in 15 miles east and 7 miles north of Bloomington in McLean County. The bridges have now been replaced by concrete designs.
The 1891 King Bridge sign is 7 wide and 8 wide. Records on
its location could not be found.
The King Bridge Company was quite active in the Central Illinois area. The curved name bridge signs are 7 1/2 square and were found on bridges in Ford, Henderson, McLean, Peoria, Warren, and Woodford counties.
