Bell Ford Bridge

Covered bridges in IndianaCovered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in IndianaHistoric American Engineering Record in IndianaNational Register of Historic Places in Jackson County, IndianaRoad bridges in Indiana ... and 3 more

Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in IndianaTransportation buildings and structures in Jackson County, IndianaWooden bridges in Indiana

The Bell Ford Post Patented Diagonal "Combination Bridge", often simply called the Bell Ford Bridge or Bell Ford Covered Bridge, is a dilapidated covered bridge located in Jackson County, Indiana, northwest of Seymour, Indiana. The bridge originally passed over the East Fork of the White River on a former alignment of State Road 258, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 25, 2005. The bridge was originally built in 1869. Built in two sections, the wood and iron bridge measured 325 feet long. It reflects a time when the construction of bridges began switching from wood to iron / steel, every tensile web in the trusses made of iron, every compression member made from wood. The now unusual use of both materials has made it said that the Bell Ford Bridge is "the best representation of the American engineering “combination” bridge form". Until 1970 it was regularly used by both cars and animals. The western span collapsed in February 1999 during a windstorm, and the eastern span collapsed on January 2, 2006, nine months after it made the National Register. Its collapse meant that no combination variant Post Truss remained standing worldwide.After the Bell Ford Bridge's January 2006 collapse, Jackson County Commission President Gary Darlage said: "There is nothing left of the Bell Ford Bridge and I will not spend another tax dollar on it. Ninety percent of the people in this county think it is asinine to even consider rebuilding that bridge. On July 25, 2007, United States Representative Baron Hill announced that the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program would be giving the Bell Ford Bridge and two other covered bridges in Jackson County $2.08 million total for restoration. $448,000 of the grant was for the Bell Ford Bridge. On August 19, 2008, the commissioners of Jackson County voted 3–0 to sell what remained of the bridge to an interest group who intended to rebuild the bridge at Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park in Indianapolis, Indiana, over sixty miles (97 km) away from its current location. It would allow walkers and bikers to cross over Fall Creek. The restoration is expected to take two years and cost $2 million (USD), with a hope that federal grants will be available. It has been promised that historical markers will denote its history in Jackson County, but some preservationists in Jackson County decry it being moved, saying the grant money was already there to pay for its renovation in Jackson County. One thing that might stop the bridge from being moved is if Jackson County would have to repay $123,000 of federal money for design and restoration work it received to use on the bridge since 1999. In late May 2010 an Indiana Department of Transportation representative requested of Jackson County commissioners that a decision be made in the coming month.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Bell Ford Bridge (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Bell Ford Bridge
SR 258,

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Continue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude	Longitude
N 38.973611111111 °	E -85.929722222222 °

placeShow on map

Address

SR 258
47274
Indiana, United States
mapOpen on Google Maps

Nearby Places

Beatty–Trimpe Farm

Beatty–Trimpe Farm, also known as the Beatty–Kasting–Trimpe Farm, is a historic home and farm located in Hamilton Township, Jackson County, Indiana. The farmhouse was built about 1874, and is a two-story, brick Italianate style I-house with a one-story rear ell. A one-story addition was constructed in 1970. Also on the property are the contributing smokehouse (c. 1874), ice house, scale shed (c. 1910), round roof barn (c. 1949), granary / corn crib (c. 1949), garage / workshop (c. 1949), and English barn (1850s).It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Seymour High School (Indiana)

Seymour High School is a public high school in Seymour, Indiana. It is the only high school in the Seymour Community Schools district.

Hangman Crossing, Indiana

Hangman Crossing is an unincorporated community in Jackson Township, Jackson County, Indiana, United States.

Cortland, Indiana

Cortland is an unincorporated community in eastern Hamilton Township, Jackson County, Indiana, United States. It lies along State Road 258, northwest of the city of Seymour. Cortland's elevation is 561 feet (171 m), and it is located at 38°58′23″N 85°57′51″W (38.9731084, -85.9641467). Although Cortland is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 47228.

T. Harlan and Helen Montgomery House

T. Harlan and Helen Montgomery House is a historic home located at Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana. It was built between 1922 and 1929, and is a two-story, Dutch Colonial Revival style frame dwelling with a gambrel roof. It consists of a main rectangular block with a small portico, side porch, rear ell, and porte cochere. Also on the property is a contributing garage constructed in 1926.: 5 It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

George H. Vehslage House

George H. Vehslage House is a historic home located at Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana. It was built in 1894, and is a 2+1⁄2-story, Queen Anne style brick dwelling with a limestone foundation. It features a corner tower with a hexagonal roof, irregular floorplan, and one-story full width front porch with ornate woodwork. Also on the property is a two-story carriage house.: 3 It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

First Presbyterian Church (Seymour, Indiana)

First Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian church located at 301 N. Walnut Street in Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana. It was completed in 1884, and is a one-story, Late Gothic Revival style brick church with a cross-axial plan. It features a tall corner bell tower and large art glass windows measuring 18 feet wide by 22 feet high.: 2 It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

WZZB

WZZB (1390 AM, "Classic 1390") is a radio station broadcasting a soft adult contemporary music format in AM stereo. Licensed to Seymour, Indiana, United States, the station is currently owned by Midnight Hour Broadcasting, LLC and features programming from Dial Global.

Rockford, Jackson County, Indiana

Rockford is an unincorporated community in Redding Township, Jackson County, Indiana.

Farmers Club (Seymour, Indiana)

Farmers Club is a historic clubhouse located at Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana. It was built in 1914, and is a 1+1⁄2-story, Beaux-Arts style brick building with Indiana limestone embellishments. The main entrance features flanking Ionic order columns, round arch transom, and projecting piers. The building houses the local chamber of commerce.: 2 It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It is located in the Seymour Commercial Historic District.

Seymour Commercial Historic District

Seymour Commercial Historic District is a national historic district located at Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana. It encompasses 79 contributing buildings and 4 contributing structures in the central business district of Seymour. The district developed between about 1876 and 1945, and includes notable examples of Italianate, Romanesque Revival, and Classical Revival style architecture. Located in the district is the separately listed Farmers Club. Other notable buildings include the Masonic Temple (1901), Richart Block (1900), Steinker Meat Market (c. 1885), Seymour National Bank (c. 1920), Southern Indiana Telephone and Telegraph Building (1929), Jonas Hotel (c 1876), and Kidd Saloon (1887).It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

Seymour, Indiana

Seymour is a city in Jackson County, Indiana, United States. Its population was 21,569 at the 2020 census. The city is noted for its location at the intersection of two major north–south and east–west railroads, which cross each other in the downtown area. The north–south line (the Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad) was built in the 1840s and connected Indianapolis to the Ohio River at Jeffersonville. In 1852, Captain Meedy Shields persuaded Hezekiah Cook Seymour into building the eastwest railroad (the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad) through his land, and in return named the city in Seymour's honor. The firsts settlers arrived in the spring of 1853. The companies Aisin USA and Rose Acre Farms are headquartered in Seymour, and Cummins operates a plant in the area. The city is also home to the 2nd largest high school gymnasium in the United States by seating capacity.