The Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge is an early example of the use of metal truss bridge load-bearing superstructure technology, which defined highway bridge design well into the 20th century.
Because of "its uncommon innovative design and age", the bridge is one of West Virginia's most historically significant bridges.
It is the oldest remaining example of a Whipple truss bridge in West Virginia, and the oldest extant metal truss bridge in the state.
The metal truss technology of the bridge displays distinctive innovations developed by the prominent civil engineers and bridge designers Squire Whipple and J. W. Murphy; the innovations are evident in the bridge's double-intersection diagonals and counter-diagonals with pin connections.

Approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) in width and 176 feet (54 m) in length, the bridge is built atop a reinforced concrete abutment and pier.
Its truss structure exhibits a double-intersection configuration, constructed of 14 bays, each measuring approximately 11 feet (3.4 m) wide and 23 feet (7.0 m) in height, with the diagonals extending across two bays each.
The bridge is fabricated of wrought iron bracketed with pins.
Spanning the full length of the bridge is a wooden pedestrian walkway that consists of an observation deck and wooden seating near the bridge's midspan.
The Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge is an early example of the use of metal truss bridge load-bearing superstructure technology, which defined highway bridge design well into the 20th century. Because of "its uncommon innovative design and age", the bridge is one of West Virginia's most historically significant bridges. It is the oldest remaining example of a Whipple truss bridge in West Virginia, and the oldest extant metal truss bridge in the state. The metal truss technology of the bridge displays distinctive innovations developed by the prominent civil engineers and bridge designers Squire Whipple and J. W. Murphy; the innovations are evident in the bridge's double-intersection diagonals and counter-diagonals with pin connections.
Approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) in width and 176 feet (54 m) in length, the bridge is built atop a reinforced concrete abutment and pier. Its truss structure exhibits a double-intersection configuration, constructed of 14 bays, each measuring approximately 11 feet (3.4 m) wide and 23 feet (7.0 m) in height, with the diagonals extending across two bays each. The bridge is fabricated of wrought iron bracketed with pins. Spanning the full length of the bridge is a wooden pedestrian walkway that consists of an observation deck and wooden seating near the bridge's midspan.
Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge