Indiana Bridge Company

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The Indiana Bridge Company is the oldest manufacturer in Muncie, Indiana. Established in May 1886 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the company has a rich history of building truss bridges that spans not only Indiana but throughout parts of the United States. On November of the same year, the company moved from Indianapolis to Muncie where it would remain until today.

Muncie, Indiana City in Indiana, United States of America

Muncie is an incorporated city and the seat of Delaware County, Indiana. It is located in East Central Indiana, about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Indianapolis. The United States Census for 2010 reported the city's population was 70,085. It is the principal city of the Muncie metropolitan statistical area, which has a population of 117,671.

Indianapolis State capital and consolidated city-county in the United States

Indianapolis, often shortened to Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to 2017 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion County was 872,680. The "balance" population, which excludes semi-autonomous municipalities in Marion County, was 863,002. It is the 17th most populous city in the U.S. The Indianapolis metropolitan area is the 34th most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S., with 2,028,614 residents. Its combined statistical area ranks 27th, with a population of 2,411,086. Indianapolis covers 368 square miles (950 km2), making it the 16th largest city by land area in the U.S.

Contents

History

On May 17, 1886, shortly after the discovery of natural gas, Theodore F. Rose and associates established the Indiana Bridge Company, with a capital stock of $30,000. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana the company built truss bridges. On November 12 of the same year, the company was moved from Indianapolis to Muncie, Indiana where the gas boom was just beginning. [1] By March 1887, they erected their first brick and stone building. [2] [3]

C.M. Kimbrough became president of the Indiana Bridge Company on May 25, 1888. Kimbrough led the expansion of the company, and in 1904 the company upgraded its facilities at its present-day site. During World War I, the company participated in the war mobilization effort, producing steel for the United States and its allies. After the end of the war, the company continued to prosper until the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929. In 1932, C.M. Kimbrough died, and his son J. Lloyd Kimbrough became president, serving until 1937. Upon his death, the company elected J. Lloyd’s brother, Frank H. Kimbrough as president of the company. With the beginning of World War II, the Indiana Bridge Company again assisted the war effort with steel production from 1939 to 1945. In 1946, Frank H. Kimbrough died, and the following year on August 6, 1947 his brother Hal C. Kimbrough decided to sell the company. Taylor and Gaskin, Inc.’s purchase of the Indiana Bridge Company ended the company’s long history of Kimbrough leadership. [1]

World War I 1914–1918 global war starting in Europe

World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the resulting 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the most populous city is New York City. Most of the country is located contiguously in North America between Canada and Mexico.

World War II 1939–1945, between Axis and Allies

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from more than 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 70 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

Under new management, the Indiana Bridge Company had a lot of ups and downs as a result of the economy. The company continued to operate from 1947 to 1962, when it closed its doors. Muncie was not ready to see the company close, and in 1963 a group of local investors put capital back into the business and reopened its doors. In 1971, the Indiana Bridge Company was sold to and Alabama firm, and two years later was sold again to Debron. Bristol Steel purchased the company from Debron in 1978, and continued operating it until the plant closed in 1982 due to economic hardships. The plant was not closed for long, when two years later in 1984 it reopened its doors. The Indiana Bridge Company still operates today in Muncie, Indiana manufacturing structural steel. [4]

A collection of records of Indiana Bridge Company including drawings, photographs, and documents from 1886 to 1981 is available digitally through the Digital Media Repository at Ball State University.

Ball State University public university in Muncie, Indiana, United States

Ball State University is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers and Indianapolis. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, industrialists and founders of the Ball Corporation, acquired the foreclosed Indiana Normal Institute for $35,100 and gave the school and surrounding land to the State of Indiana. The Indiana General Assembly accepted the donation in the spring of 1918, with an initial 235 students enrolling at the Indiana State Normal School – Eastern Division on June 17, 1918.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Indiana Bridge Company Records" (PDF). Ball State University Archives and Special Collections. Ball State University Libraries. December 16, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  2. Kemper, General William Harrison (1908-01-01). A Twentieth Century History of Delaware County, Indiana. Lewis Publishing Company.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Indiana Bridge Company Collection". libx.bsu.edu. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
  4. "Indiana Bridge". www.indianabridge.net. Retrieved 2016-03-01.