About Old Stone Arch (Marshall, Illinois)
Bridges, Architecture, Interesting Places, Stone Bridges
The Old Stone Arch is a stone arch bridge along the former route of the National Road in Marshall, Illinois. The limestone bridge is 13.5 feet (4.1 m) high and 15 feet (4.6 m) across. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the bridge between 1828 and 1837, the period in which the Corps rebuilt much of the National Road. The National Road, the most-traveled U.S. road in the early 1800s and the first built by the U.S. government, connected Illinois to the Eastern United States and helped bring settlers and goods to the state during its early years. The bridge has served road traffic continuously since its construction and was part of U.S. Route 40 from the route's creation to 1953.