Rating:
5 votes

Able Mitchell Bridge

Parke County, Indiana

Photos 

Oblique View

Photo taken by Tom Hall in May 2008

BH Photo #115524

Map 

Video 

Able Mitchell Bridge

Mike Daffron

Play video on YouTube

Facts 

Overview
Through truss bridge over Big Raccoon Creek on Mansfield Road northeast of Bridgeton
Location
Bridgeton, Parke County, Indiana
Status
Open to pedestrians only
History
Built 1892 by the Wrought Iron Bridge Co., bypassed 1991
Builder
- Wrought Iron Bridge Co. of Canton, Ohio
Design
Whipple through truss
Dimensions
Span length: 175.0 ft.
Total length: 175.0 ft.
Also called
County Bridge #28
Bridgeton Iron Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+39.65180, -87.15829   (decimal degrees)
39°39'06" N, 87°09'30" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
16/486419/4389123 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Catlin
Inventory number
BH 36721 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

19th Century (6,155)
Bridgeton, Indiana (3)
Built 1892 (179)
Built during 1890s (2,455)
Indiana (4,196)
Open to pedestrians (3,510)
Owned by county (18,804)
Parke County, Indiana (86)
 Pin-connected (3,177)
Skewed (4,669)
Span length 175-250 feet (1,798)
Through truss (12,860)
Total length 175-250 feet (3,742)
Truss (29,375)
Whipple truss (267)
Wrought Iron Bridge Co. (285)

Update Log 

  • June 17, 2017: New video from Mike Daffron
  • May 31, 2017: Updated by Christopher Finigan: Added category "Pin-connected"
  • March 20, 2013: Updated by Brent Tindall: Updated street name
  • March 8, 2010: New photos from James McCray
  • March 5, 2010: Updated by Ed Hollowell: Changed from "Lost" to "Bypassed".
  • March 5, 2010: Updated by Anthony Dillon: Added county bridge number and fixed GPS coordinates
  • January 19, 2010: New photos from Anthony Dillon
  • December 8, 2009: New photos from J.P.
  • June 21, 2008: Added by J.R. Manning

Sources 

  • J.R. Manning - thekitchenguy [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
  • Tom Hall - thomas [dot] hall [at] ffni [dot] com
  • J.P. - wildcatjon2000 [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Tony Dillon - spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com
  • Ed Hollowell - erhollowell [at] aol [dot] com
  • James McCray - jamesinslocomb [at] yahoo [dot] com
  • Brent Tindall - bizzat219 [at] yahoo [dot] com
  • Mike Daffron
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Comments 

Able Mitchell Bridge
Posted May 31, 2017, by Anonymous

This is a Whipple truss, despite the fact that the interpretive sign depicts a covered bridge.

Able Mitchell Bridge
Posted February 26, 2011, by Anthony Dillon (spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com)

Amy

This is a through truss bridge that requires the overhead bracing (struts, sway and lateral bracing) to help keep the trusses (sides of the bridge) in the proper alignment.

Shorter bridges (pony trusses) did not require the overhead supports that the longer spans did, although some used outriggers (see picture below) to help stabilize them.

By the 20th century, designers were making longer pony trusses that would have required the use of a through truss a few decades earlier.

Able Mitchell Bridge
Posted February 26, 2011, by Amy (amyshannon [dot] 1223 [at] yahoo [dot] com)

What is the purpose of the iron at the top of this iron bridge in Bridgeton iron bridge in Parke Co.