Marker Inscription
Engineering
Historic Place
Cow Bayou Swing Bridge
The landmarks the nation chose to remember.
About this site
Cow Bayou Swing Bridge is a historic place in Bridge City, Orange County, dedicated in 2010. It is one of 3 historic places documented in Orange County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 91 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 30.0448, -93.8214 near Bridge City. The nearest cataloged historic site is Bridge City Historical Museum (museum), about 1.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include Turner, Granger, and Winfree.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #2010000252. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
History
Completed in 1940, this 806-foot center-bearing swing bridge over Cow Bayou was the last major component built along Texas Highway 87, the 'Hug-the-Coast Highway' running from Orange to Brownsville, and it linked the economic centers of Orange and Port Arthur. An electric motor pivots the center span on a concrete pier to open and close the bridge in about ten minutes. The consolidation of school districts on either side of the bayou after its completion gave rise to the name Bridge City. One of only two swing bridges left in Texas, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.
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Nearby in Orange County
Museum
Bridge City Historical Museum
Bridge City
Cemetery
Turner
Orange County
Cemetery
Granger
Orange County
Cemetery
Winfree
Orange County
Cemetery
Dorman
Orange County
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