Grange Corner Covered Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grange Corner Covered Bridge |
|
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°56′23.17″N 87°12′31.46″W / 39.9397694°N 87.2087389°W |
| Carries | C.R. 1200N |
| Crosses | Sugar Mill Creek |
| Locale | Parke, Indiana, United States |
| Official name | Grange Corner Covered Bridge |
| Other name(s) | Delp Covered Bridge |
| Named for | Grange Corner, Indiana |
| WGCB Number | 14-61-37 |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 113 ft (34 m) |
| History | |
| Constructed by | J. J. Daniels |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
The Grange Corner Covered Bridge was a special old bridge located west of Grange Corner, Indiana. A famous builder named J. J. Daniels built this single-span bridge in 1899. It used a design called a Burr Arch, which made it very strong. Sadly, a big flood destroyed the bridge in 1968.
The Bridge's Story
Building the Bridge
The builder, J. J. Daniels, offered two prices to build the bridge. One price was for just the main part of the bridge, called the superstructure. The other price included the superstructure and the stone supports at each end, called abutments.
Another builder, Thomas Alward, offered a price just for the abutments. The county decided to split the job. J. J. Daniels built the main bridge part, and Thomas Alward built the abutments. This was a common way to build bridges back then. Sometimes, even if one person got the whole job, they would hire someone else to do the abutments.
Why the Bridge Was Lost
The Grange Corner Covered Bridge was destroyed by a flood in 1968. One of its stone supports washed away. However, the real reason the bridge was lost goes back to a problem with how things were managed.
The bridge's supports had been checked and found to be unsafe. But there was a disagreement between two groups. The Parke County Highway Department wanted to fix county roads with a limited budget. Another group, Parke County Incorporated, wanted to keep the covered bridges safe.
The Grange Corner Covered Bridge was caught in the middle of this disagreement. Repairs were put off while they tried to find money to fix it. But the flood came before the money did, and the bridge fell into the creek.
Some people who saw it happen believed the bridge was not completely destroyed. They thought it could have been lifted out of the creek in one piece. They hoped it could be saved or moved to a new spot. However, other photos showed the bridge was in much worse shape. Since there was no money to save it, the county only approved funds to take the bridge apart.
