The Jackson Branch Bridge No. 15, also known as the Tecumseh Railroad Bridge due to its close proximity to the city of Tecumseh

Tecumseh, Michigan

Tecumseh is a small city in Lenawee County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated where M-50 crosses the River Raisin, a few miles east of M-52. Tecumseh is about SW of Detroit, south of Ann Arbor and north of Toledo, OH....

, is a historic railway

Rail transport

Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

 deck truss bridge

Truss bridge

A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...

 that spans the River Raisin

River Raisin

The River Raisin is a river in southeastern Michigan, United States that flows through glacial sediments into Lake Erie. The area today is an agricultural and industrial center of Michigan. The river flows for almost , draining an area of in the Michigan counties of Lenawee, Monroe, Washtenaw,...

 in rural Raisin Charter Township in Lenawee County

Lenawee County, Michigan

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 98,890 people, 35,930 households, and 26,049 families residing in the county. The population density was 132 people per square mile . There were 39,769 housing units at an average density of 53 per square mile...

, Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. The bridge was designated as a Michigan Historic Site

Michigan State Historic Preservation Office

The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office is in charge of the listing of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of Michigan, including buildings, lighthouses, bridges, historic districts, and many other properties deemed important to the history of Michigan...

 and added to the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 on December 4, 2001.

The 254-foot-10½-inch-long (77.7 m) bridge was built in 1896 by Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway

Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway

The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, sometimes referred to as the Lake Shore, was a major part of the New York Central Railroad's Water Level Route from Buffalo, NY to Chicago, primarily along the south shore of Lake Erie and across northern Indiana...

's Jackson Branch and carries a single track over the River Raisin. The railway sits 40 feet (12.2 m) above the river's surface. The line itself is an active railroad. The Southern Michigan Railroad Society

Southern Michigan Railroad Society

The Southern Michigan Railroad Society is a railway museum in Clinton, Michigan, United States. It has preserved of track and a variety of railroad equipment including the only GMDH-3 locomotive ever built. Trains are operated on a seasonal schedule....

purchased the Jackson Branch and the bridge in 1985, and operates historic trains on the bridge. The closest road to the bridge is North Raisin Center Highway approximately 250 feet (76.2 m) east of the bridge. The area is heavily wooded, and the bridge cannot be seen from the roadway during the summer months. Access to the bridge is strictly prohibited, however it can be crossed via passenger train.