Harbison Covered Bridge | |
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Coordinates | 39°46′29″N87°02′21″W / 39.774728°N 87.039186°W Coordinates: 39°46′29″N87°02′21″W / 39.774728°N 87.039186°W |
Crosses | Big Raccoon Creek |
Locale | Union Township, Indiana |
Official name | Harbison Covered Bridge |
Named for | The Harbison Family |
WGCB Number | 12-61-22 |
Characteristics | |
Design | Burr Arch truss single-span bridge |
Material | Wood |
Traversable? | No |
History | |
Constructed by | J.A. Britton |
Opening | 1847 |
Rebuilt | 1916 | (flood)
Closed | 1943 | (fire)
Replaces | Hargrave Covered Bridge |
The Harbison Covered Bridge was west of Portland Mills, Indiana. The single-span Burr Arch covered bridge structure was built by J.A. Britton in 1916 and destroyed by a fire in 1943. [1]
The bridge was named after the Harbison family that owned land around the Portland Mills area. It replaced the earlier 1847 Hargrave Covered Bridge that had been lost in the Great Flood of 1913.
The Hargrave Covered Bridge was west of Portland Mills, Indiana. The single-span Burr Arch covered bridge structure was built by J. J. Daniels in 1847 and destroyed by a flood in 1913.
The Great Flood of 1913 occurred between March 23 and March 26, after major rivers in the central and eastern United States flooded from runoff and several days of heavy rain. Related deaths and damage in the United States were widespread and extensive. While the exact number is not certain, flood-related deaths in Ohio, Indiana, and eleven other states are estimated at approximately 650. The official death toll range for Ohio falls between 422 and 470. Flood-related death estimates in Indiana range from 100 to 200. More than a quarter million people were left homeless. The death toll from the flood of 1913 places it second to the Johnstown Flood of 1889 as one of the deadliest floods in the United States. The flood remains Ohio's largest weather disaster. In the Midwest damage estimates exceeded a third of a billion dollars. Damage from the Great Dayton Flood at Dayton, Ohio, exceeded $73 million. Indiana’s damages were estimated at $25 million. Further south, along the Mississippi River, damages exceeded $200 million. Devastation from the flood of 1913 and later floods along the Mississippi River eventually changed the country's management of its waterways and increased federal support for comprehensive flood prevention and funding for flood control projects. The Ohio Conservancy Act, which was signed by the governor of Ohio in 1914, became a model for other states to follow. The act allowed for the establishment of conservancy districts with the authority to implement flood control projects.
This bridge would be lost though on December 22, 1943, when a truck wrecked and ruptured an oil pipeline. The oil that leaked from the pipeline saturated the bridge and ignited. The bridge burned down very quickly and was unable to be saved.
The Harbison Bridge site is now flooded by the creation of the Cecil B. Harden Lake during most of the year.
The covered bridges of Parke County are well-known tourist attractions in Parke County, Indiana, United States, which touts itself as the "Covered Bridge Capital of the World". The county claims to have more covered bridges than any other county in the United States. This is due to several reasons, mainly due to the numerous streams and creeks in the county, and having the natural resources and designers to build the bridges.
The Parke County Covered Bridge Festival is a fall festival which takes place in nine communities in Parke County, Indiana, United States. It celebrates the county's 31 covered bridges, and is attended by more than 2 million people each year. It begins on the 2nd Friday in October and lasts 10 days.
The Mansfield Covered Bridge is a Double Burr Arch double span truss bridge located on Mansfield Road (historic) and Big Raccoon Creek in Mansfield southeast of Rockville in Parke County, Indiana. Built by Joseph J. Daniels in 1867 at a cost of $12,200. At 279 ft (85 m) it is the second longest covered bridge left in Parke County. This Historic Site rest on land provided by Luke J. Moody and is open to the public.
The Beeson Covered Bridge originally crossed Roaring Creek, one mile (1.6 km) northwest of Marshall, Indiana, on County Road 216, in Washington Township, Parke County. The bridge was moved to its current location in Billie Creek Village in December 1979.
The Cox Ford Covered Bridge crosses Sugar Creek along the west edge of Turkey Run State Park, Parke County.
The Portland Mills Covered Bridge is the second oldest covered bridge in Parke County, Indiana, being built the same year as the Crooks Covered Bridge. It is a single span Burr Arch Truss covered bridge that was built by Henry Wolf in 1856.
The West Union Covered Bridge is north-northeast of Montezuma, Indiana. The two-span Burr Arch Truss covered bridge structure was built by Joseph J. Daniels in 1876. It is notable for being the longest standing covered bridge in Parke County, and one of the nation's best-preserved examples of the Burr truss.
The Wilkins Mill Covered Bridge is north of Rockville, Indiana. The single span Burr Arch Truss covered bridge structure was built by William Hendricks in 1906. The bridge is 120 feet (37 m) long, 16 feet (4.9 m) wide, and 13 feet (4.0 m) high.
The Adams Covered Bridge was east of Rockville, Indiana. The single-span Burr Arch covered bridge structure was built by the Adams Construction in 1907 and destroyed by flood in 1969.
The Armiesburg Covered Bridge was on the south side of Armiesburg, Indiana. The Long Truss with arch covered bridge structure was built by Henry Wolf in 1907 and destroyed by the Great Flood of 1913.
The Dooley Station Covered Bridge was east of Dooley Station, Indiana. The Burr arch truss style single span covered bridge crossed Little Raccoon Creek and was built by W.C. Carty in 1917 and destroyed by arson in 1960.
The Grange Corner Covered Bridge was west of Grange Corner, Indiana. The single-span Burr Arch covered bridge structure was built by the J. J. Daniels in 1899 and destroyed by flood in 1968.
The Harrison Covered Bridge was north of West Union, Indiana. The double-span Burr Arch covered bridge structure was built by J. J. Daniels in 1866 and damaged by flood waters in December 1875.
The Hollandsburg Covered Bridge was southeast of Hollandsburg, Indiana. The single-span Burr Arch covered bridge structure was built by J. J. Daniels in 1872 and torn down in 1930 during the expansion of U.S. Route 36 (US 36).
The Jessup Covered Bridge was north of Jessup, Indiana. The single-span Burr Arch covered bridge structure was built by the Jefferson P. Van Fossen in 1910 and destroyed by flood in 1989.
The Moore Covered Bridge was northeast of Judson, Indiana. The single-span Burr Arch covered bridge structure was built by the Joseph A. Britton in 1909 and destroyed by flood in 1957.
The Plank Road Covered Bridge was east of Rockville, Indiana. The single-span Burr Arch covered bridge structure was built by Henry Wolf in either 1854 or 1859 and destroyed in the Great Flood of 1913.
The Star Mill Covered Bridge was north of West Union, Indiana. The double-span Burr Arch covered bridge structure was built by J. J. Daniels in 1861 and destroyed by flood waters in 1866.
The Lusk Covered Bridge was once located north of Marshall, Indiana, United States. Two single-span dual lane Lattice Truss covered bridges were located at the site, one of which replaced the other. Salmon Lusk constructed the first bridge in 1840, and after its destruction by flood in 1847, Lusk constructed the second. Both bridges were located on private land; the only other such covered bridges in Parke County were the State Sanitorium Covered Bridge, the JH Russell Covered Bridge, and the Clinton Toll Bridge.
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