The Billie Creek Covered Bridge is a Burr Arch structure that was built by Joseph J. Daniels in 1895. J.L. Van Fossen supplied the sandstone that makes up the abutments cut from A.E. Fuel's nearby quarry.[1][3]
Billie Creek Covered Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Western portal and northern side | |
| Coordinates | 39°45′40.51″N 87°12′23.67″W / 39.7612528°N 87.2065750°W |
| Carries | Old U.S.36 |
| Crosses | William's Creek |
| Locale | East of Rockville, Adams Township, Parke County, Indiana |
| Official name | Billie Creek Bridge |
| Named for | William's Creek |
| Maintained by | Parke County Park Department |
| WGCB # | 14-61-19[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Burr arch truss bridge |
| Material | Cut sandstone (foundations) |
| Trough construction | Wood |
| Total length | 78 ft (23.8 m) (includes 8 ft (2.4 m) overhangs on each end) |
| Width | 15 ft (4.6 m) |
| Longest span | 62 ft (18.9 m) |
| No. of spans | 1 |
| Clearance above | 12.5 ft (3.8 m) |
| History | |
| Construction cost | $820 |
Billie Creek Covered Bridge (#39) | |
  Location of Billie Creek Covered Bridge  Location of Billie Creek Covered Bridge  Location of Billie Creek Covered Bridge | |
| Built | 1895 |
| Built by | J. J. Daniels |
| Website | Billie Creek Covered Bridge (#39) |
| Part of | Parke County Covered Bridges TR (ID64000193) |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000384 [2] |
| Added to NRHP | December 22, 1978 |
| Location | |
 | |
History
editThis bridge was built to replace the open wooden bridge that had been built by famed bridge builder J.A. Britton, just 15 years earlier in 1880. It was built on what was then called the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway, what would later become U.S. 36. The bridge was saved because it was later bypassed when the road was rebuilt.[4]
Billie Creek covered bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[2]
After being bypassed by the main highway it would become a tourist attraction when it became part of Billie Creek Village where it is still open to vehicular traffic and only closed at busy times of the year for traffic control.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Billie Creek Bridge". Indiana Covered Bridge Society. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ a b "National Register Information System – Billie Creek Covered Bridge (#39) (#78000384)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
- ^ "Billie Creek Covered Bridge (#39)". Parke County Incorporated / Parke County Convention and Visitors Commission. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ^ "Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)" (Searchable database). Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Retrieved 2016-06-01. Note: This includes Charles Felkner (December 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Parke County Covered Bridge Historic District" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-06-01., Site map, and Accompanying photographs.
External links
edit
Media related to Billie Creek Covered Bridge at Wikimedia Commons
- Parke County Covered Bridge Festival Archived 2020-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
- Official website
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