William Irelan

Summary

William Irelan (May 31, 1840 – 1925) was a farmer, sawmill operator, and bridge builder of Oak Springs, Davis County, Iowa. He held two US patents — 205,799 (July 9, 1878) and 220,382 (October 7, 1879), both “Improvement in Truss-Bridges” — modular wood-and-iron designs whose braces could be replaced without scaffolding, used extensively in Davis and Appanoose counties and by the Wabash Railway Co. Born in Guernsey County, Ohio, he died in 1925 and is buried at Drakesville Cemetery.

Focus areas: Bridges · Patents · Iowa

At a glance

Field

Bridges · Patents

Location

Davis County, Iowa

References · in priority order

1. US Patent 205,799 (1878)patents.google.com/patent/US205799A/en
2. 1882 county history (Internet Archive)archive.org/details/cu31924028913916

Sources

• Farmer, sawmill operator, and bridge builder of Oak Springs, Davis County, Iowa; b. May 31, 1840, Guernsey County, Ohio; d. 1925, buried Drakesville CemeteryFind a Grave
• Granted US Patent 205,799 (July 9, 1878) and US Patent 220,382 (Oct 7, 1879), both 'Improvement in Truss-Bridges' — modular wood/iron bridges with braces replaceable without scaffoldingGoogle Patents
• His bridges were used extensively in Davis and Appanoose counties and by the Wabash Railway Co., per the 1882 county historyInternet Archive
• US Patent 220,382, 'Improvement in Truss-Bridges,' granted October 7, 1879Google Patents

Disambiguation

This record is about the Davis County, Iowa bridge builder. Not to be confused with William Irelan Jr., the California state mineralogist.