Brownsville Covered Bridge

The Brownsville Covered Bridge spans Mill Race Pond in Mill Race Park, Columbus, Indiana.

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The Brownsville Covered Bridge, a historic example of the Long truss design, currently spans Mill Race Pond in Mill Race Park, Columbus, Indiana.

History

The bridge was constructed by Adam Mason and his father between 1837 and 1840 to span the East Fork of the Whitewater River in Brownsville. ^{2 3 4}

Construction began in 1837 with an original county appropriation of $1,200. ³ The work required an additional $400, which was appropriated from the State 3% Fund on May 3, 1839, but was never paid to Mason. The completed structure, accepted by the Union County Commissioners in January 1841, was a single span measuring 182 feet long and 21.6 feet wide.

The design used was the Long truss, patented in 1835 by Col. Stephen H. Long, who had designed it in 1830. ³ The Long truss was the first all-wooden truss to incorporate mathematical calculations into its design, requiring no arch for support and appearing as a series of boxed Xs from the side. Fresh from his duties with the Army Topography Engineers, Long employed sub-agents to promote his design, but it fell out of favor after 1840 with the development of the Howe truss. ⁴

In 1869, local craftsman George Heim added stone abutments and attractive balusters at both ends of the bridge. ³ The bridge was locally known as the “Wagon Bridge” to distinguish it from an upstream railroad covered bridge (which was removed in 1911), ³ and it was also called Bill-Poster’s Paradise. ⁴

By 1971, the Brownsville Covered Bridge was the oldest timbered bridge in Indiana still standing on its original site, and the only remaining Long truss in the state. ^{3 4} (The only older covered bridge, completed in 1838, had been relocated to the north entrance of Brown County State Park.) It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. ³

Relocation and Rebirth

In 1974, the Brownsville Covered Bridge was relocated to span Eagle Creek in Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis. ⁴ At that time, it was officially delisted from the Register. ³ Because of deterioration, the bridge was later disassembled and placed into storage. ⁵

On November 30, 1985, the covered bridge at Mill Race Park in Columbus was destroyed by arson. ⁵ That covered structure, the Clifty Covered Bridge, was a single-span Howe truss measuring 145 feet and relocated to Mill Race Park in 1966. ^{5 7} The project was financed by a community fund drive.

A new covered bridge was then proposed to replace the burned structure, utilizing components from the Brownsville Covered Bridge. ⁶

The new covered bridge was dedicated on May 14, 1986. ⁶ Moments after the final planks of flooring were laid, construction superintendent Larry Guthrie drove over the bridge, followed by Columbus Parks director Charles Wilt, Carle Miske, Virgil Taylor, and Stu Huffman. The bridge was not yet open for public travel, as the roof and siding were not slated for installation until June 14.

The bridge was given an honorary designation after Virgil Taylor, who passed away in 2006. ¹ Taylor was central to the creation of Mill Race Park and oversaw the initial efforts to relocate the Clifty Bridge to the park before its destruction.

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Gallery

Historic American Engineering Record

Photos by Jack E. Boucher from April 1, 1971.

Relocated and shortened to Mill Race Park in 1986, rehabilitated in 1991.It wa instead used to replace the Clifty Bridge in Mill Race Park in 1985. [4]

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Details

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Sources

1. Informational sign.
2. “New Brownsville Covered Bridge.” Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
3. Brandenburg, William H. “Brownsville Covered Bridge.” National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 11 Jul. 1973.
4. Rosenberg, Robert and Donald Sackheim. “Brownsburg Covered Bridge.” Historic American Engineering Record, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1974.
5. “Wounded pride.” The Republic, 2 Dec. 1985, p. A4.
6. The Republic, 15 May 1986, p. A18.
7. “Clifty (relocated), Bartholomew County.” Covered Spans of Yesteryear, 2024.