Rating:
3 votes

Guthrie Creek Bridge

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Photos 

Photo taken by Anthony Dillon

Map 

Facts 

Overview
Through truss bridge over Guthrie Creek on CR 1050 East
Location
Lawrence County, Indiana
Status
Open to traffic
History
Built 1897 by the Lafayette Bridge Co.
Builder
- Lafayette Bridge Co. of Lafayette, Indiana
Design
pinned Pratt through truss
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 95.1 ft.
Total length: 102.0 ft.
Deck width: 11.8 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 16.4 ft.
Recognition
Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
Approximate latitude, longitude
+38.80944, -86.28472   (decimal degrees)
38°48'34" N, 86°17'05" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
16/562103/4295873 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map
Tunnelton
Inventory numbers
INNBI 4700029 (Indiana bridge number on the National Bridge Inventory)
BH 16500 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 07/2010)
Deck condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Serious (3 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Appraisal: Structurally deficient
Sufficiency rating: 15.8 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2009)
120

Update Log 

  • April 11, 2010: New photos from James McCray
  • March 29, 2010: New photos from J.P.
  • January 14, 2010: New photos from Anthony Dillon
  • June 10, 2009: New photo from Anthony Dillon
  • December 2, 2008: Updated by Anthony Dillon
  • June 24, 2008: Updated by Anthony Dillon: Builder and truss type

Sources 

  • Tony Dillon - spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com
  • J.P. - wildcatjon2000 [at] gmail [dot] com
  • James McCray - jamesinslocomb [at] yahoo [dot] com
  • Historicbridges.org - by Nathan Holth

Comments 

Guthrie Creek Bridge
Posted January 15, 2012, by Parker McElhinney (pdme11 [at] yahoo [dot] com)

Did some looking around and found that Palestine was located on the North shore of the White River where Palestine Road intersects the river. Apparently that house facing Palestine Road is where the 1818 Courthouse was and should be the location of a stone marker placed in 1968 commemorating that. The piers of a later rail bridge can still be seen on aerial close by too. Bono is just South-Southeast of Tunnelton, several miles East. Guthrie Creek discharges into the White River just East of Palestine and is crossed by a bridge on Tunnelton Road. Presumably, you would leave the Palestine area and head East staying on the North side of the river and cross the Guthrie Creek on what is now Tunnelton Road. While there is some indication of a past crossing over the White at Palestine, getting to Bono from the south shore of the river looks even more challenging than going through Tunnelton

Guthrie Creek Bridge
Posted January 15, 2012, by Tony Dillon (spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com)

I would love to see it and Ft. Ritner receive a complete (and well deserved) overhaul. This one has some real concerns below the deck.

Guthrie Creek Bridge
Posted January 15, 2012, by J.P.

This bridge could really use a paint Job

Guthrie Creek Bridge
Posted January 15, 2012, by Tony Dillon (spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com)

I guess if I would have taken time to do a search...I would have found that the town of Palestine was the first county seat of Lawrence County. This was a short lived term from about 1818 to 1825 before the county seat was moved to Bedford. Nothing of that town remains and I couldn't even find it on a map of any kind. Wikipedia states that it was 4 miles South of Bedford. This seems like it would place the town South of the White River, and if it and Bono were both South of the river then Guthrie Creek wouldn't even come into play.

Guthrie Creek Bridge
Posted January 15, 2012, by Tony Dillon (spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com)

I'm not familiar enough with the history of that area to say for sure. I know Bono is of course a Lawrence County town, but the only 2 towns in Indiana with the name Palestine are nowhere in the vicinity. Was there possibly a town by that name which was later renamed?

I wonder if the Tunnelton Road that goes to Bedford would have had a bridge over Guthrie Creek at an early date. That would probably be my first guess.

Guthrie Creek Bridge
Posted January 15, 2012, by Jim Hoffmann (jahoffmann51 [at] gmail [dot] com)

Anyone know the present location of the first bridge built in Lawrence County, built over Guthrie Creek in 1819? Supposedly built on the Palestine-Bono road.

Thanks,

Jim