No, this isn’t a Bridges of Madison County-alike post. Having lived in Cincinnati for over three years, I have rarely explored eastern Indiana despite its relative closeness – even more so now that I have moved within an earshot of Interstate 74. I set out one Sunday afternoon to photograph the bridges of Dearborn County, Indiana, but due to illness, I made it only so far.

 

Bonnell Road Bridge

 

1 The Bonnell Road Bridge, crossing an unnamed creek, was built in 1916 with additions made later to increase the turning radius of intersecting Burtzelbach Road.

 

East Fork Tanners Creek Bridge

 

Two spans cross East Fork Tanners Creek in Dearborn County, Indiana for Indiana State Route 46. The oldest span, a one-lane Pratt pony truss, carried the state route until a replacement three-span concrete arch span was completed in 1937.

 

2 The abandoned East Fork Tanners Creek Bridge

 

3 The replacement bridge, 1937.

 

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Guilford Covered Bridge

 

The Guilford Covered Bridge is located in Guilford, Dearborn County, Indiana, and crosses East Fork Tanners Creek in the Guilford Covered Bridge Park. Constructed in 1879 by Archibald M. Kennedy & Sons of Rushville, the Burr arch-truss featured a wood block surface, one of three in the state. The covered bridge was reinforced with additional supports in the early 1900s due to heavier loads brought on with Guilford’s rise in industrial importance, notably from the coal mines. In 1960, the span was relocated to a newly-formed park when the bridge over the creek was replaced. It was damaged by arson in 1993, and subsequently rehabilitated in 1997 by L. L. Brown Co. and the Amos Schwartz Co. Renovations included a sprinkler system.

 

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West Fork Tanners Creek Bridge

 

The West Fork Tanners Creek Bridge formerly carried an older alignment of the Lawrenceburg & Indianapolis Railroad over West Fork Tanners Creek. In 1930, under the control of the New York Central, the rail line was bypassed with a new alignment that was on higher elevation. The bridge was later used as access to Collier Ridge Road, connecting it to Bonnell Road. It was closed to traffic in 2010 due to fractured lower chord members.

 

Dearborn County is accepting proposals from parties for the reuse of the span. It is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, but has been determined “non-select” for preservation per the Programmatic Agreement Regarding Management and Preservation of Indiana’s Historic Bridges. A Section 106 historic review process is ongoing.

 

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11 Lower chord members broken.

 

12 Lower chord members broken.

 

A rural Dearborn County, Indiana residence, at the corner of Gutapfel and Legion Road in Jackson Township, provides a stark contrast between the size of houses then and today.

 

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Relevant pages:

a. Bonnell Road Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/indiana/bonnell-road-bridge/

b. E. Fork Tanners Creek Bridge (old SR 46): http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/indiana/east-fork-tanners-creek-bridge-in-46/

c. Guilford Covered Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/indiana/guilford-covered-bridge/

d. W. Fork Tanners Creek Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/indiana/west-fork-tanners-creek-bridge-lawrenceburg-indianapolis-railroad/

 

Blog entries:

e. The bridges of Dearborn County, Indiana: http://bridgestunnels.com/2011/07/07/the-bridges-of-dearborn-county-indiana/

f. Rural Dearborn County: http://www.abandonedonline.net/2011/07/07/rural-dearborn-county/

 

Enjoy!

Very nice photos - this looks like an abandoned one-room schoolhouse to me. There are a lot of these still standing in Ohio and Indiana.

 

 

 

Beautiful stuff!

Very nice photos - this looks like an abandoned one-room schoolhouse to me. There are a lot of these still standing in Ohio and Indiana.

 

I was about to make the same comment. A few of those still stand in my home area in northeastern Indiana, some of which have been converted into residences. The asymmetrically-placed exterior chimney in front makes me think this one might have been converted into a residence before being abandoned; all the township schools I know of had their chimneys on an interior wall and going up through the roof, usually toward the rear. Also, the transom and stone lintels would be atypical for a farmhouse of such modest proportion.

 

Interesting - it could have very well been a schoolhouse. The one reason that I ruled it out initially was that it was at the line with another township - Jackson and Kelso.

 

The crosshair is the location of the building: http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=39.26436,-85.01358&z=14&t=T. A township school is located southwest, but this map is probably much newer than if this building above was ever active.

The very first picture reminds me of infrared photography: all of the vegetation looks almost white. Which would be pretty cool.