Billie Creek Covered Bridge

Billie Creek Covered Bridge
Western portal and northern side
Coordinates39°45′40.51″N 87°12′23.67″W / 39.7612528°N 87.2065750°W / 39.7612528; -87.2065750
CarriesOld U.S.36
CrossesWilliam's Creek
LocaleEast of Rockville,
Adams Township, Parke County, Indiana
Official nameBillie Creek Bridge
Named forWilliam's Creek
Maintained byParke County Park Department
WGCB #14-61-19[1]
Characteristics
DesignBurr arch truss bridge
MaterialCut sandstone (foundations)
Trough constructionWood
Total length78 ft (23.8 m) (includes 8 ft (2.4 m) overhangs on each end)
Width15 ft (4.6 m)
Longest span62 ft (18.9 m)
No. of spans1
Clearance above12.5 ft (3.8 m)
History
Construction cost$820
Billie Creek Covered Bridge (#39)
Location of Billie Creek Covered Bridge is located in Parke County, Indiana
Location of Billie Creek Covered Bridge
Location of Billie Creek Covered Bridge
Location of Billie Creek Covered Bridge is located in Indiana
Location of Billie Creek Covered Bridge
Location of Billie Creek Covered Bridge
Location of Billie Creek Covered Bridge is located in the United States
Location of Billie Creek Covered Bridge
Location of Billie Creek Covered Bridge
Built1895
Built byJ. J. Daniels
WebsiteBillie Creek Covered Bridge (#39)
Part ofParke County Covered Bridges TR (ID64000193)
NRHP reference No.78000384 [2]
Added to NRHPDecember 22, 1978
Location
Map

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]

History

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This 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

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Billie Creek Bridge". Indiana Covered Bridge Society. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Billie Creek Covered Bridge (#39)". Parke County Incorporated / Parke County Convention and Visitors Commission. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  4. ^ "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.
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Media related to Billie Creek Covered Bridge at Wikimedia Commons