Site of the Ashtabula River Railroad bridge disaster

The Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster (also called the Ashtabula Horror or the Ashtabula Bridge Disaster) was a train disaster caused by bridge failure. It was the worst rail accident in American history when it occurred in far northeastern Ohio on December 29, 1876, at 7:28 p.m.

One or perhaps two of the bridge designers later committed suicide. The disaster helped focus efforts to draw up standards for bridges including adequate testing and inspection.