Above : One of several Luten Arch bridges still in active use in Loudoun , this picturesque single-lane bridge is on Greengarden Road , north of Route 50 ; left : the water ford on JEB Stuart Road . of the famous “ Luten ” bridge — one of the earliest motor vehicle bridges . Daniel B . Luten ( b 1869 ) was one of the pioneers of very early motor vehicle road bridge design and his combination of theoretical analysis and practical
testing led to significant advances in efficient , durable and safe bridges using reinforced concrete . Tens of thousands of his patented Luten arch concrete bridges were installed all over the U . S . and can be identified by their distinct bronze plaque carrying the name “ Luten Bridge Company .” Several other of his bridges built almost 100 years ago are still in regular use today in Loudoun County .
Known locally as “ sunken bridges ,” fords across active streams were the primary route through Loudoun ’ s many waterways for the first two centuries of Loudoun ’ s history . The ford across the North Fork of the Beaverdam Creek on JEB Stuart Road just west of Philomont is still in use today . It is within the Unison Battlefield Historic District and was the scene of an all-day cavalry and artillery engagement on November 1 , 1862 as Federal and Confederate forces clashed soon after the battle of Antietam . Today , looking much as it has for over 200 years , it carries local traffic and the occasional traveler misled by his GPS . Local residents regularly bring their tractors to the ford to extract drivers who try to cross after storms significantly raise the usually low and safe water level .
You can find more information about these bridges and another twelve of Loudoun ’ s great bridges by visiting www . bridgehunter . com / va / loudoun .
Mitch Diamond is a retired businessman and active preservationist who lives with his wife and multiple horses , cows , donkeys , dogs and a goat on a historic farm near the old Quaker village of Unison in rural Loudoun County .
wander I fall • winter 2020 31