Beeson Covered Bridge

Beeson Covered Bridge
National Register of Historic Places
Beeson Covered Bridge in Billie Creek Village
Official name: Beeson Covered Bridge
Named for: The Beeson Family[1]
Country  United States
State  Indiana
County Parke
Township Adams
Road Pedestrian (Not open to commercial traffic.)
City Billie Creek Village
Crosses William's Creek
Coordinates 39°45′47.68″N 87°12′23.18″W / 39.7632444°N 87.2064389°W / 39.7632444; -87.2064389Coordinates: 39°45′47.68″N 87°12′23.18″W / 39.7632444°N 87.2064389°W / 39.7632444; -87.2064389
Length 55 ft (17 m)
Width 16 ft (5 m)
Clearance 12.5 ft (4 m)
Builder Frankfort Construction Company
Design Burr arch truss bridge
Material Wood
Built 1906
WGCB Number #14-61-24[2]
Added to NRHP Dec 22, 1978
NRHP Ref# 78003447 [3]
MPS Parke County Covered Bridges TR
Location of the Beeson Covered Bridge in Indiana
Location of Indiana in the United States

The Beeson Covered Bridge is a Burr Arch covered bridge structure that was built by the Frankfort Construction Company in 1906.

History

The Beeson Covered Bridge originally crossed the Roaring Creek, near Marshall, Indiana in Washington Township, but due to another bridge across the county being named the Marshall Covered Bridge it was named after the nearby Beeson family. William H. Beeson, who was born in 1879 owned 53 acres of land near the bridge. It crossed Roaring Creek on C.R. 216 which doesn't exist anymore. From looking at maps of the period when the bridge was built it would have been in the vicinity of 39°51′35.88″N 87°12′8″W / 39.8599667°N 87.20222°W / 39.8599667; -87.20222.[1][4]

The bridge was closed in 1969 because the abutments were declared unsafe. In March 1979 a nearby concrete bridge collapsed. This, along with the earlier closing of the Beeson Bridge, caused a severe problem with access to Marshall and nearby Turkey Run High School and Turkey Run State Park. The Roaring Creek Citizens Association (RCCA) was formed to address this problem.

At 11:47 pm on August 9, 1979, just shortly after the RCCA had a meeting at Turkey Run High School, a fire was reported at the Beeson Bridge. Firefighters from Marshall fought from the south end while firefighters from Bloomingdale fought from the north end of the bridge. The fire was found to be a clear case of arson, fuel oil odors were still strong the following morning. The Parke County Sheriff's Department, Indiana State Police Department and the Indiana State Fire Marshal all were part of the investigation, owing that it is a registered national landmark the FBI probably had jurisdiction too but declined to join. Due to the fire happening so close to the RCCA meeting the RCCA threatened legal action with anyone accusing them of being connected with the fire.

Less than a week later another fire was started just after midnight on August 15, 1979. A nearby neighbor, Bill Connerly saw someone at the bridge and heard a car turn around in his driveway. Shortly after that he saw flames at the bridge and contacted the Fire Department. The Marshall Fire Department found the bridge floor covered in flames but was quickly able to extinguish them.

On December 4, 1979 the Buchta Trucking Company began moving the bridge to its current location over Williams Creek in Billie Creek Village, Rockville, Indiana. They first removed the roof and sides before transporting the rest of the bridge.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 http://www.indianagenweb.com/inparke/Maps/1905ParkeCountyAtlasWashingtonTownship.jpg
  2. ↑ http://www.indianacrossings.org/bridgeLinks/14-61-24.html
  3. ↑ National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  4. ↑ "Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)" (Searchable database). Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Retrieved 2016-06-01. Note: This includes Charles Felkner (December 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Parke County Covered Bridge Historic District" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-06-01., Site map, and Accompanying photographs.
  5. ↑ "Beeson Covered Bridge (#38)". Parke County Incorporated / Parke County Convention and Visitors Commission. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
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