Welcome from Allan King Sloan....

2008-04-07T17:32:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, my wife discovered Eric DeLony’s Landmark American Bridges at a museum book sale. In it were two bridges built by the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio, which was founded by my great-great grandfather, Zenas King, in 1858. While I was well aware that Zenas and his son, my great-grandfather, James, were in the bridge business, I was surprised and pleased that their work merited mention in a book about American landmarks. Eric DeLony put me in touch with a fellow "pontist", David Simmons of the Ohio Historical Society, who had done extensive research and had published articles about the King Bridge Company for the SIA. Much to my embarrassment, David Simmons knew much more about Zenas King than I did, and I decided, as one of my activities in retirement, to try to catch up just a bit.

In searching one old trunk in the family attic, I found the pages of a book called the Encyclopedia of Biography, apparently written in the 1920s, documenting the lives of prominent Cleveland families. It contained the following entry for Zenas King, Inventor, Executive: "Each great practical scientific achievement that has meant comfort, convenience, and utility to the world has had connected with it one outstanding name, the name of a benefactor of his kind for all time to come. What Bell is to the telephone, Morse to the telegraph, Fulton to the steamboat, and Goodyear to the vulcanized rubber industry, Zenas King is to the science of building iron bridges."

I was astonished by this sweeping statement, merited or not, but it certainly inspired me to keep on looking.... Our website at www.KingBridgeCompany.com is part of our effort to find and preserve remaining King Bridges.

King Iron Bridge Company Blog

Welcome from Allan King Sloan....