A overview and some photos of the stone arch bridges of Butler County, Kansas from 1908 – 1918. Includes a map of the 50+ stone bridges built by the county proper.
Category Archives: Construction
Building Better Masonry
Masonry is rewarding undertaking. There is no “magic” behind building enduring structures, rather, stone masonry is easily learned with practice.
Tapered Arches
Building an arch that is tapered by making the haunches thicker than the crown is a clever way to make a strong bridge without increasing the “hump.”
Capping Stone Walls
The stones atop of a stone wall are fairly easily dislodged, especially for mortarless builds. Here are some ideas to help keep everything in place.
Building Solid Foundations on Weak Ground
Where a stone arch bridge must be founded on soft ground, there are several simple steps can be taken to prevent settling of the structure.
Mortarless (Drystack) Retaining Walls
Mortarless stone retaining walls have to resist the perpetual thrust of the soil they are withholding. Here are several ways this can be done.
The Keystone
The keystone, while generally no more important than any other arch stone, does require some special attention to fit properly.
Effective Arch Thickness
Effective arch thickness is the measure of how much of an arch’s thickness is supporting weight. This means that even imperfect arches can be strong.
Cutting Stone
Stone cutting is a useful skill which allows for building better masonry. Various stones have specific ways they need to be cut for good results.
Are Stone Arch Bridges Outdated?
Stone arch bridges from past centuries are widely used across the world, and stone bridges are even still built in some places.
Stone Arch Bridges 