Bell Ford Bridge
Bell Ford Post Patented Diagonal "Combination Bridge" | |
 Piers at the site of the former bridge | |
   | |
| Location | Seymour, Indiana |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°58′25″N 85°55′47″W / 38.97361°N 85.92972°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1868, c. 1885 |
| Built by | Blish, John; Pattison, Robert, et al. |
| Architectural style | Combination Truss |
| NRHP reference No. | 05000194[1] |
| Added to NRHP | March 25, 2005 |
The Bell Ford Post Patented Diagonal "Combination Bridge", often simply called the Bell Ford Bridge or Bell Ford Covered Bridge, is a dilapidated
The bridge was originally built in 1869. Built in two sections, the wood and iron bridge measured 325 feet long. It reflects a time when the construction of bridges began switching from wood to iron / steel, every tensile web in the trusses made of iron, every compression member made from wood. The now unusual use of both materials has made it said that the Bell Ford Bridge is "the best representation of the American engineering “combination” bridge form".
After the Bell Ford Bridge's January 2006 collapse, Jackson County Commission President Gary Darlage said: "There is nothing left of the Bell Ford Bridge and I will not spend another tax dollar on it. Ninety percent of the people in this county think it is asinine to even consider rebuilding that bridge.[9] On July 25, 2007, United States Representative Baron Hill announced that the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program would be giving the Bell Ford Bridge and two other covered bridges in Jackson County $2.08 million total for restoration. $448,000 of the grant was for the Bell Ford Bridge.[10]
On August 19, 2008, the commissioners of Jackson County voted 3–0 to sell what remained of the bridge to an interest group who intended to rebuild the bridge at
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Covered bridge remains to move — Jackson span set for park in Indy Associated Press August 22, 2008
- ^ JANUARY 2005 — INDIANA NATIONAL AND STATE REGISTER LISTINGS Archived 2008-08-20 at the Wayback Machine (Indiana DNR, 2005)
- ^ a b c AP August 22, 2008
- ^ Indiana DNR, 2005
- ^ BELL FORD COVERED BRIDGE Archived 2007-09-08 at the Wayback Machine Indiana County History Preservation Society, 2006
- ^ Bridges of Jackson County, Indiana Archived 2008-09-03 at the Wayback Machine Jackson County Visitor Center, 2008
- ^ "Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)" (Searchable database). Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Retrieved April 1, 2016. Note: This includes Barker Engineering; Fleeta K. Arthur; Angie R. Kreeger & Dr. Loren Noblitt (May 2000). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Bell Ford Post Patented Diagonal "Combination Bridge"" (PDF). Retrieved April 1, 2016. and Accompanying photographs.
- ^ Wetzel, January. Jackson County seeks Bridge Funds The Tribune (Seymour, Indiana). May 19, 2006
- ^ Wetzel, January. Grant aids spans The Tribune (Seymour, Indiana). July 25, 2007
- ^ AP. "Plan to give away covered bridge hits snag". Courier Journal. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
External links
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. IN-46, "Bells Ford Bridge, Spanning East Fork White River at State Route 258, Seymour, Jackson County, IN", 9 photos, 14 measured drawings, 10 data pages, 1 photo caption page, supplemental material
