Wheeling, WV 26003
The Wheeling Suspension Bridge, constructed by Charles Ellet, Jr. between 1846 and 1849, was the first long-span wire-cable suspension bridge in the United States. For many years it was the longest clear-span bridge in the world. The deck was wrecked by a violent storm in 1854. It was re-built and the structure with its original towers and cables is still in service. It is the most significant remaining pre-Civil War bridge in the nation.