The Casselman River Bridge is located in an historic area called Little Crossings, which became a major thoroughfare of westward travelers from the 1760s onward. At the time of its construction, the 80-foot span of this single-arch stone bridge was the largest of its type in America. The bridge became part of the National Road project early in the 1800s. The National Road served as a link between Cumberland, Maryland with the Ohio River. In the 1840s, railroad travel became a cheaper means of transportation, thereby reducing the number of travellers on the National Road. The bridge continued in service until U.S. Route 40 also became an important east-west artery, just as the National Road had been. In 1933 a new steel bridge joined the banks of the Casselman River. The old stone bridge was partially restored by the State of Maryland in the mid-fifties and is now the center of Casselman River bridge State Park.
The Casselman River Bridge State Park is in Garrett County, east of Grantsville on U.S. Route 40.
Keywords: United States, transportation structures, outdoor spaces, state parks. Submitted by Kathleen Goepfert.
