Squire Whipple, a civil engineer and one-time resident of Springfield, is considered the “Father of the Iron Bridge”. The first iron bridge he designed was fabricated by his brother-in-law, Oliver Shipman, in Springfield. By the 1880’s, 90% of the bridges over the Erie Canal were Whipple bridges. This exhibit displays various photographs of Whipple bridges while it tells the story of Whipple’s life.