Solving an Indiana mystery, a plea for restoration and other updates

 

Several years ago, I came across Cole's Ford Bridge in Harrison County, Indiana and was surprised that this bridge from 1883 was allowed to deteriorate and stand over the Blue River. There was not much to look at or even photograph due to the foliage cover - a wide shot of the trusses and a dead-on photograph was all that I wanted to manage. I didn't want to tempt my fear of heights by walking out onto the old floor beams.

 

 

 

And I just sat on the photographs for two years, not knowing much more about the bridge until I came across an <em>Indiana Department of Historic Preservation & Archaeology</em> page that listed a completion date of 1883 with some photographs of the span when it had wood planking for a bridge deck. But information was hard to come by, and I did not want to make a trip to Leavenworth's library just to investigate a single bridge without arming myself with some more knowledge of the area's history.

 

I learned that the bridge was once Indiana State Road 22, a primary route that extended from New Albany west to Leavenworth, Fredonia and Princeton. The first survey of the roadway was started in 1827 and a primitive dirt path opened five years later. But travel was slow - especially at the crossing for the Blue River that was nothing more than a ford.

 

William M. Ellsworth in September 1869 appeared before the county commissioners in Crawford County and presented a petition to construct a bridge over the river near Cole’s Ford. Several were appointed in Crawford and neighboring Harrison County to determine if a bridge was needed, and if so, what type. Four locations were proposed:

 

• William Rothrock’s land, requiring a span 120 feet in length, 48 feet high with two abutments at an approximate cost of $5,000.
  
• David Cole’s land, requiring a span of 140 feet or 170 feet in length, 55 feet high with two abutments at an approximate cost of $6,500.
  
• At a point below Joe Cole’s farm, requiring a span of 125 feet in length, 62 feet high with two abutments at an approximate cost of $6,000.
  
• Zebulum Leavenworth’s farm, requiring a span of 120 feet in length with two pillars, 65 feet high with two abutments at an approximate cost of $8,000.
  

 

Two others from Harrison County were submitted as well. In a meeting in March 1870, the county agreed that a span at Cole's ford should be built. The new bridge was ordered to be higher than the high water mark of 1832, with a main span length of at least 100 feet and wide enough for two teams of horses to pass. Bids were opened on October 13, and a contract was awarded to the Julius Barbaraux and Company for $9,810, the lowest bidder. A sub-contract for the superstructure was given to the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio for a wrought iron tubular arch with a main span of 130 feet and a width of 14 feet. The square wrought iron tubular arch was patented by King in 1857, a variant of the bowsting arch that the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio had marketed nationwide. The bridge was to be completed prior to October 15, 1871.

 

The approaches were built of wood in the form of trestlework that was commonly used for railroads. The new bridge was ready for traffic on December 7, 1871.

 

Unfortunately, a flood of 1883 did considerable amount of damage to Cole’s Ford Bridge. One report said that the bridge collapsed. Because of this, bids were opened for repairs or replacement:

 

• Smith Bridge Company for $4,155.
  
• King Bridge Company for $4,325.
  
• Columbus Bridge Company for $4,512.
  
• Wrought Iron Bridge Company for $4,223.75.
  
• Mars Bridge Company for $4,100.
  

 

The bids were rejected and re-advertised.  This time, lower bids were submitted and a contract was awarded to the Wrought Iron Bridge Company for $2,549. The repaired bridge was to be completed by September 2, 1883. The new bridge consisted of three spans: a pinned Parker through truss with nine panels measuring 165-feet in length and a two span, seven panel pinned Pratt through truss measuring 125.4-feet.

 

In 1923, the Corydon-Leavenworth-English segment of roadway was designated State Road No. 22, which stretched across the southern tier of Indiana.

 

A historic flood in the spring of 1937 devastated nearby Leavenworth. That flood, which consumed towns from stretching from Leavenworth to Mt. Vernon, caused some drastic changes. After the flood, more than $700,000 in federal money was expended to mitigate damage, and of that, $130,000 was used to move Leavenworth out of the floodplain. The new town was dedicated on December 16, 1938 by Col. F.C. Harrington, Governor Clifford Townsend and others. As part of the project, a new State Road No. 22, then numbered Indiana Route 62 was constructed east of the town to Corydon due to the Blue River crossing, and to offer a more gentle and modern route east.

 

As of 1984, the bridge was abandoned and its bridge deck removed by 1987 due to structural deterioration. The span is being studied for restoration into a pedestrian path for hikers, horseback riders and bicyclists for O’Bannon Woods State Park  as part of the American Discovery Trail. The trail, which exists within the state park and nearby Harrison-Crawford State Forest, will eventually stretch from the Illinois border to the Ohio border. The estimated cost is $250,000, and one donor has already pledged $100,000 towards the effort.

 

Indiana has a good record for rehabilitating existing spans. The Bells Branch Road Bridge is located on Bells Branch Road over Laughery Creek between Dearborn and Ohio counties. Constructed in 1916, the Pratt through truss bridge was completed by the Oregonia Bridge Company of Lebanon, Ohio.

 

In December 2007, a request for proposal (RFP) for a letter of interest was announced for the rehabilitation of Bells Branch Road Bridge. The RFP estimated the construction cost would be $510,000, with work to include repairing deficiencies in truss members, bridge railings, bering plates and abutments, the replacement of the bridge deck and the repainting of the span. Work began on the rehabilitation project in 2009.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nearby was the Cave Hill Arch Bridge that carries Cave Hill Road over Laughery Creek in Ripley County. The closed-spandrel arch was constructed in the early 1910s.

 

 

 

Close by on the same road is a fantastic riveted Parker through truss over Laughery Creek.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Onward to some covered crossings. Busching Covered Bridge is located on County Route 20 South/East Perry Street east of Versailles. The one-lane covered Howe through truss spans Laughery Creek and was constructed in 1885 by Thomas A. Hardman. Hardman was locally famous for rebuilding many of the covered bridges in Ripley and Dearborn counties that were destroyed during the Civil War by Confederate John Hunt Morgan. The covered bridge was bypassed in 1929 with a closed-spandrel arch. It was rehabilitated in 2005 by CLR Construction of Indiana, with work that included replacing lower chord members, replacing several diagonal bracing components and all of the steel rods that hold the upper and lower chords together with tension. A new standing seam roof was also installed.

 

 

 

James Covered Bridge is located West County Road 625S in Jennings County and crosses Graham Creek. It is named for Thomas S. James who owned the adjacent property and mill. The bridge is also commonly referred to as the Kissing Bridge, as the names of several of James’ children and those that they courted are scribed on the wood inside the truss.

 

On March 26, 1887, John F. Hayden, Eli Wells and James McManaman, all county commissioners, ordered that a bridge be built at James Ford in Lovett Township. Early on, Robert Carson filed suit to have the bridge built at Carson Ford, a mile upstream, but the lawsuit was filed too late and was quickly dismissed. The James Covered Bridge was proposed to be 130 feet long with a main span of 122 feet and that it be a covered Howe truss with wrought iron tie rods and cast iron angle blocks. In reality, the bridge was built 140 feet long with a main span length of 124 feet.

 

Construction began shortly by Barron & Hole after and abutments one foot thick and built of native limestone were laid, followed by the erection of the Howetruss which took five to six weeks to finish. Wood was furnished by the James Saw Mill.

 

In December 2007, a request for proposal (RFP) for a letter of interest was announced for the rehabilitation of James Covered Bridge. The RFP estimated the construction cost would be $403,200.

 

 

The Tobias Bridge carries County Route 1350 West over Big Creek in Jefferson County. The pin-connected Whipple through truss was constructed in 1885 by the Indianapolis Bridge Company of Indianapolis.

 

The bridge is located on the former Lexington-Saluda Highway and was a former through route. In 1884, M.J. Tobias and his neighbors had convinced the Jefferson County Commissioners to construct a bridge over Big Creek. Tobias had donated the stone for the abutment. James Walker was hired to construct the substructure who unfortunately discovered quicksand below the bed of Big Creek. After consultations with an engineer, he petitioned to perform additional wet excavation of the creek down to solid rock at a rate of $1 per cubic yard. Over 1,000 cubic yards of limestone was brought in for the task.

 

The Indianapolis Bridge Company shipped the superstructure in pieces and had it transferred to nearby Deputy by rail. It was divided into 13 panels 12-feet in length, and although in total they weighed 58,000 pounds, it only took two weeks to reassemble the bridge.

 

By the 2000s, the bridge had deteriorated and its weight limit was only a mere three tons. The bridge was slated for demolition and replacement until County Engineer Jim Olson was notified. He conferred with Greencastle preservationist James Cooper and J.A. Barker of Bloomington to develop a cost estimate for rehabilitation of the bridge. The Tobias Bridge, despite its low weight limit, had a good stone foundation and original ironwork. When the cost estimates came in below expectations, it was decided that the span would be restored instead of demolished.

 

On October 23, 2004, the rehabilitated Tobias Bridge was unveiled. The 110-year-old crossing was restored for $900,000, or half the cost of a new concrete bridge, with the project designed by J.A. Barker Engineering and actual reconstruction work performed by Gohman Construction Company of Sellersburg. Work included increasing the load capacity of the span and to repair bent or bowed verticals. The decision was made to install additional plates on the outside of each vertical connected with high strength button head bolts that resemble the original hot rivets, to heat strengthen out-of-plane members, welding the lattice railings to modern tubular railings for safety, repairing ornamental portal braces and cleaning and painting the bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I end with a plea for restoration. The Cedar Grove Bridge crosses the Whitewater River in Cedar Grove and formerly carried Indiana Route 1. The historic span could be demolished by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) in 2014 if no reuse plans are set in place. Because of its age and the rarity of the type of bridge, it is eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Bridges.

 

The two-span, riveted Camelback through truss was constructed in 1914 by the Indiana Bridge Company of Muncie at a cost of $18,975. It replaced an earlier span that was demolished by the 1913 flood. The 386-foot long bridge was divided into two spans each 182 feet in length, with a single pier consisting of two concrete or rubble filled steel caissons ringed with sheet piling.

 

 

 

 

In 1978, Indiana Route 1 was rerouted onto a new alignment that bypassed Cedar Grove Bridge and an alignment that hugged the Whitewater River that was the source of frequent slips and repairs. The Cedar Grove Bridge closed to all traffic in 1999 due to structural deterioration. INDOT offered the bridge to Franklin County, but it was not interested in assuming future responsibility for the span.

 

On June 16, 2011, INDOT submitted an application to the Division of Historical Preservation and Archaeology (DHPA), proposing to demolish the Cedar Grove Bridge via a controlled demolition with detonation. Because of its eligibility to be listed on two national historic registers, DHPA must review and approve of the demolition request. Because of a lack of notice regarding the application, an impromptu meeting was held between Indiana Landmarks, INDOT and Franklin County Citizens for Historic Preservation, along with other residents.

 

On August 26, 2011, James Barker of J.A. Barker Engineering inspected the truss span on behalf of Indiana Landmarks. He found that the bridge railing was inadequate, the decking in poor condition, portal bracing damaged by truck impact, the lower chord rusting near the bearing seats, a rusted lower lateral bracing and rusted floor beams.

 

Barker suggested three alternatives for the work:

 

• Alternative 1: Assuming "sweat equity" by local citizens, the donation of services, or reduced-cost services along with fundraising with no assistance from the county or INDOT. This alternative would involve the most-needed repairs, such as repairing bridge railing and augmenting it with wooden or steel rails for pedestrians, removing the lower lateral bracing, repairing the bridge deck, not repairing the floor beams or wing walls and using the Thermarust system to coat the bearing seat areas and the lower chord.
  
• Alternative 2: Assuming some funding from INDOT and the transfer of ownership to a local entity. This alternative would involve repairing bridge railing and augmenting it with tubular steel, repairing the portal knee braces, replacing the lower lateral bracing, removing the top layer of boards on the deck due to the new lower lateral bracing, and not repairing the floor beams or wing walls. It also involves using the Thermarust system to coat the bearing seat areas and the lower chord.
  
• Alternative 3: A complete rehabilitation project with park amenities, assuming INDOT transfers ownership to a local entity and that the entity obtains federal aid funding - typically 20% local, 80% federal. This alternative would involve repairing bridge railing and augmenting it with tubular steel, replacing the bridge deck, strengthening or replacing the floor beams, repairing the portal knee braces, replacing the lower lateral bracing, replacing the lower lateral bracing, repairing the northern wing wall and painting the entire bridge.
  

 

According to engineer James Barker who inspected the bridge shortly after the group began meeting, the span is in acceptable to good condition for pedestrian use, and that rehabilitating the span would cost approximately $600,000 for a new wooden bridge deck, cleaning and repainting.

 

On February 2, 2012, INDOT resubmitted the application for demolition to DHPA. The agency said that while the bridge was eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion C, the bridge was not in vehicular use and was not evaluated for Select or Non-Select status. The DHPA staff did agree that the bridge was historic. But because the proposed demolition was 100% state funded, INDOT was not seeking a federal Section 106 review.

 

In October, INDOT offered Franklin County a deal. The state would pay the county $1.5 million over three years, with the first payment of $500,000 remitted in April 2013. In exchange, the county would assume maintenance of old Indiana Route 1. The money would be used to replace Duck Creek Bridge No. 10 and to maintain old Indiana Route 1.

 

Unfortunately, the town of Cedar Grove did not show interest in owning the Cedar Grove Bridge, however, the Whitewater Canal Trail (WCT) has expressed interest in owning the crossing as part of a hiking and cycling trail. In return, the county asked that the WCT be able to post a 50-year bond for bridge maintenance and demonstrate proof of insurance.

 

The demolition of the bridge would cost $195,000, however the county said that demolition costs would only be about $100,000 if the piers were left in place. If a plan is not worked out, bids for demolition could be announced in December 2013.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for reading!

What a great essay, Sherman!  I have always been fond of old bridges and your photographs show a wonderful eye for the small details of these old spans.  Great job!

 

Before I was legally able to drive my now-late father would take me on the back roads outside of my hometown here, in Hillsdale County, Michigan to hone my driving skills.  The route, completely bereft of paved roads, would take us across several of these old through-truss bridges.  Sadly, they are gone and have been replaced by featureless modern bridges that are required to be built to essentially the same standards as a bridge on an interstate highway. 

 

The good news is that one of the old bridges I would drive across as a young man is still in existence in a park outside of Battle Creek, Michigan.  A park there has a number of old bridges from around that state which have been preserved.  Portland, a small town northwest of Lansing has several large bridges that have been preserved in place and are worth seeing if a fan of bridges finds himself in that part of the state.

Very nice.

what an awesome thread. as a fellow bridge fan this will get repeat looks over. great great work here.