Fountain Creek Bridge, Stone arch bridge in Monroe County, Illinois.
Fountain Creek Bridge is a stone arch crossing in Monroe County built from limestone blocks that remain largely unchanged since the mid-1800s. The structure features a single graceful arch that carries loads through carefully arranged stone work.
Built in 1849 by Herman Garleb, the bridge served as a vital road link for wagons and early vehicles for many decades. When Illinois Route 156 was completed around 1920, traffic moved to the newer crossing and this structure became secondary.
This crossing represents an era when local builders relied on stone arches as the primary engineering solution for spanning waterways. The structure shows techniques that required careful knowledge of how stones work together under weight.
The bridge sits in a rural setting and is reachable by car or on foot, remaining open to visitors year-round. The area has minimal facilities nearby, so come prepared if you plan to spend time studying the stonework.
This crossing ranks among the largest remaining stone arch bridges in the region, with only a handful of comparable structures still standing in the state. Its survival offers a rare window into construction methods that have become obsolete in modern bridge building.
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