Harpers Ferry B&O Bridge Ruins
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Two months after the start of the Civil War, the B&O Railroad bridge into Harpers Ferry was in ruins. Only the piers remained. The B&O tried to reopen the bridge, replacing the wooden structure with "Bollman" iron spans (named after their inventor). The first two Bollman spans were soon destroyed. Four later spans survived the war, although troops closed the bridge by burning its wooden floors.
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