Conley's Ford Covered Bridge was built in 1906 and crosses Big Raccoon Creek on County Road 550 East close to County Road 720 South, in Parke County, IN. The bridge is a single span Burr Arch Truss structure. The Conley's Ford Covered Bridge was built by J. Lawrence Van Fossen.
Conley's Ford Covered Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Conley's Ford Covered Bridge | |
| Coordinates | 39°39′33.8″N 87°7′58.7″W / 39.659389°N 87.132972°W |
| Carries | County Road 550 E. |
| Crosses | Big Raccoon Creek |
| Locale | Raccoon Township, Parke County, Indiana |
| Official name | Conley's Ford Bridge |
| Named for | Conley's Ford |
| Maintained by | Parke County |
| WGCB # | 14-61-02[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Double Burr arch truss bridge |
| Material | Concrete (foundations) |
| Trough construction | Wood |
| Total length | 212 ft (64.6 m) (includes 10 ft (3.0 m) overhangs on each end) |
| Width | 16 ft (4.9 m) |
| Longest span | 192 ft (58.5 m) |
| No. of spans | 1 |
| Load limit | 5 short tons (4.5 t; 10,000 lb) |
| Clearance above | 13 ft (4.0 m) |
Conley's Ford Covered Bridge (#7) | |
  Location of Conley's Ford Covered Bridge  Location of Conley's Ford Covered Bridge  Location of Conley's Ford Covered Bridge | |
| Built | 1906–1907 |
| Built by | J. L. Van Fossen |
| Website | Conley's Ford Bridge |
| Part of | Parke County Covered Bridges TR (ID64000193) |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000388 [2] |
| Added to NRHP | December 22, 1978 |
| Location | |
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History edit
Unlike the other covered bridges in Parke County, Conley's Ford was made of white pine, and not poplar. The bridge also lays claim to being the world's fourth longest single span covered bridge.[3][4]
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[2]
In 1991 the bridge was re-sided and re-roofed. It also had its "Daniels Portals" converted into "Britton Portals" along with the build date being changed to "1907" from "1906-07". From old photos it is known that commissioners, auditors, treasurer and builder were once included on the portals.[3]
Gallery edit
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "The Conley's Ford Bridge". Indiana Covered Bridge Society. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ a b "National Register Information System – Conley's Ford Covered Bridge (#7) (#78000388)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
- ^ a b "Conley's Ford Covered Bridge (#7)". coveredbridges.com. 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 Conley's Ford Covered Bridge at Wikimedia Commons
- Parke County Covered Bridge Festival Archived 2020-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
- Official website
