Johnsville Bridge

Johnsville was laid out by John Ely and William H. Shauck on December 17, 1834, and was initially named after Ely. ² The post office was named after Shauck, who had it established circa 1825 from his residence. ^{1 2}

One of the first mills in the county, built by Ely and Shauck in 1830, was located along the river. ² The grist and sawmill also included two employee residences, a church, and a covered bridge along Mount Gilead-Lexington Road (later US Route 42).

The Mount Gilead-Lexington Road was first surveyed in 1812 between Delaware and Mansfield, but the route had been established years previous by other parties. ³ Another survey was conducted in 1817 and it became a mail route in 1820.

The covered bridge was replaced with a Pratt through truss in 1900. ⁵ The north approach was rebuilt in 1924 by Cohains Girkins. ⁴ The Johnsville Bridge was bypassed in 1950-51 when US Route 42 was realigned. ⁶

After years of abandonment, the Johnsville Bridge is scheduled for demolition in 2017. ⁵