Three Bridges

I found these three bridges in Union County east of Axe Handle Road and SR 161. They are over Little Darby Creek on private property separated by 1/4 mile or so. They appear to be late 19C aand may have been moved here from their original sites but I know little about them. Such finds are one of the joys of bridge hunting!

Private Driveway Bridge

Photo: Janis Ford, 2007

Some people actually have historic bridges on their private driveways! This one is over Dry Creek in Licking County. It's a Pratt Pony and could be late 19th century. Note the lattice construction of the truss.

Ohio Historic Bridge Map

The yellow dots on this Ohio map represent the locations of 396 historic iron or steel truss bridges built in Ohio before 1942. The red triangles are the 120 historic wooden covered bridges in Ohio (replica, private and non-truss bridges are excluded).

Click the picture for a larger image. For further information about how this information was gathered and how to find the bridges go to oldohiobridges.com

Updated 6/29/07

Newport Bridge, Cincinnati, Ohio

Photo: Jake Mecklenborg

This beautiful picture of the Newport, aka Purple People bridge shows a night time view of this 1872 structure. The bridge has been renovated many times over the years. Originally a railroad bridge it is now for pedestrians only and has tours of the upper structure for those who aren't bothered by heights!

Oak Knoll Park Bridge in Need of Preservation

Photo: Todd Wilson 2007

The oldest iron bridge in Ohio (1859) is currently an exhibit at the Oak Knoll Park in Massillon. It's a rare Howe Truss and looks in urgent need of repair. Goes to show that moving a bridge to a park does not always mean preservation.