Houck Covered Bridge

The Houck Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge that carried County Route 550 South over Big Walnut Creek in Putnam County, Indiana.

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The Houck Covered Bridge is a historic Howe through-truss covered bridge that carried County Route 550 South over Big Walnut Creek in Putnam County, Indiana.

Prior to the construction of the bridge, the crossing at Big Walnut Creek was known as Hutchinson Ford, named for the adjacent landowner. ³ Phillip Hutcheson had settled on his farm in Washington Township by 1840 and continued to reside there into the 1910s.

The two-span bridge was constructed in 1880 by the Massillon Bridge Company of Massillon, Ohio. ^{1 3} It was named for the Houck family, who owned the adjacent land at the time of construction. David Houck, the son of early Putnam County settlers, moved to Washington Township in the 1860s–1870s and purchased approximately 400 acres of land. ³ He lived near the bridge when it was built in 1880, prior to relocating to Greencastle in 1892.

During the nineteenth century, the Houck Covered Bridge was one of the very few crossings of Big Walnut Creek in Washington Township. ³ Although located at Hutchinson Ford, the bridge was also known as the Hamrick Bridge, a name derived from nearby Hamrick Station, situated approximately one mile east. ^{2 3} Hamrick Station stood at the intersection of the Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad’s Vandalia Line and a road connecting Greencastle and Manhattan.

The bridge utilized the Howe truss system, invented by William H. Howe (born 1803), a millwright who patented the design in 1840. ³ The Howe truss incorporated iron bars and turnbuckles that allowed tension to be adjusted, securely tying the top and bottom chords together. Earlier all-wood truss bridges were prone to separation of these members, a problem largely resolved by the inclusion of iron components.

In 1932, an improved route between Greencastle and the National Road (later U.S. Route 40) at Manhattan was proposed, passing through Hamrick Station approximately one mile east of the Houck Covered Bridge. ³ This roadway—now County Route 375 West—was never incorporated into the state highway system but was improved by 1940, a change that likely reduced traffic on County Route 550 South.

The Houck Covered Bridge was rehabilitated in 1994 and bypassed in 2014. ^{1 3} It was listed on the Indiana State Register of Historic Places on April 17, 2024, and on the National Register of Historic Places on May 21.

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Details

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Sources

1. “Houck Covered Bridge.” Putnam Parks.
2. Informational signage.
3. Garner, Kurt West. “Houck Covered Bridge.” National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. National Park Service, 1 Feb. 2023.