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Pope Street Bridge (Napa County)


The Pope Street Bridge is stone arch span across the Napa River located at the northern outskirts of the city of St. Helena.  The Pope Street Bridge is one of the oldest active road bridges in California and was traffic during 1894.  The blog cover photo was sourced from the application to place Pope Street Bridge in the National Register of Historic Places taken during 1970 by Donald F. Groom.




The history of the Pope Street Bridge

The Pope Street Bridge was commissioned by the Napa County Supervisors and constructed during 1894 by contractor R.H. Pithie.  The Pope Street Bridge is a 175-foot-long stone triple arch design which cost $14,500 to construct.  The dedication plaque can be seen affixed to the Pope Street Bridge in 1970 photo by Donald F. Groom.  


The Pope Street Bridge can be seen under construction during 1894 in a photo from the Napa County Engineer's Office.  


The Pope Street Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 5, 1972.  The Pope Street Bridge can be seen in a series of 1970 photos by George F. Groom taken for the application for the structure to be added to the National Register of Historic Places.  




The Pope Street Bridge can be seen crossing the Napa River facing south from Silverado Trail in a modern view.  Despite it's age the Pope Street Bridge carries an 18-foot-wide road deck which can accommodate two standard sized vehicles passing each other.  


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