Cox Ford Covered Bridge

The Cox Ford Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that crosses Sugar Creek along the western edge of Turkey Run State Park, in Parke County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.

Cox Ford Covered Bridge
Cox Ford Bridge
Coordinates39°53′7.6″N 87°13′25.64″W / 39.885444°N 87.2237889°W / 39.885444; -87.2237889
CarriesCox Ford Road
CrossesSugar Creek
LocaleSugar Creek, Indiana, Parke, Indiana, United States
Official nameCox Ford Covered Bridge
Named forCox Ford
Maintained byParke County Commissioners
Parke County
WGCB #14-61-34[1]
Characteristics
DesignBurr arch truss bridge
MaterialConcrete on top of stone block (foundations)
Trough constructionWood
Total length176 ft (53.6 m) (includes 8 ft (2.4 m) overhangs on each end)
Width16 ft (4.9 m)
Longest span160 ft (48.8 m)
No. of spans1
Clearance above13 ft (4.0 m)
Cox Ford Covered Bridge (#7)
Location of Cox Ford Covered Bridge is located in Parke County, Indiana
Location of Cox Ford Covered Bridge
Location of Cox Ford Covered Bridge
Location of Cox Ford Covered Bridge is located in Indiana
Location of Cox Ford Covered Bridge
Location of Cox Ford Covered Bridge
Location of Cox Ford Covered Bridge is located in the United States
Location of Cox Ford Covered Bridge
Location of Cox Ford Covered Bridge
Built1913 (1913)
Built byJoseph A. Britton
WebsiteConley's Ford Bridge
Part ofParke County Covered Bridges TR (ID64000193)
NRHP reference No.78000390 [2]
Added to NRHPDecember 22, 1978
Location
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History

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This single span Burr Arch truss structure has a length of 160 ft (49 m), or 176 ft (54 m) including the 8 ft (2.4 m) overhang at each end, with a portal clearance 16 ft (4.9 m) wide by 13 ft (4.0 m) in height. Built in 1913 by Joseph A. Britton, the Cox Ford Covered Bridge has a rather unusual distinction as it was built to replace a steel bridge lost in the 1913 flood; the arches used to construction this structure were from the Armiesburg Covered Bridge, built 60 years earlier and also washed out during the 1913 flood.[3][4]

During the Great Depression, the Cox Ford Covered Bridge received a new coat of paint that was applied by a Works Progress Administration group, and though no historical marker is present, the bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It is listed in the 1989 World Guide to Covered Bridges, published by The National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, Inc., as #14-61-34; however, the designation used by Parke County officials is #14-61-36. In the February 1938 Indiana History Bulletin, Robert B. Yule and Richard C. Smith assigned the designation 'sg' to this Covered Timber Bridge located in Section 28, Township 17 North, and Range 7 West, about 1/2 a mile west of Turkey Run State Park.[5]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Cox Ford Bridge". Indiana Covered Bridge Society. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System – Cox Ford Covered Bridge (#7) (#78000390)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  3. ^ "Cox Ford Covered Bridge (#36)". coveredbridges.com. Parke County Incorporated / Parke County Convention and Visitors Commission. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  4. ^ "Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)" (Searchable database). Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Retrieved June 1, 2016. Note: This includes Charles Felkner (December 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Parke County Covered Bridge Historic District" (PDF). Retrieved June 1, 2016., Site map, and Accompanying photographs.
  5. ^ "Cox Ford Covered Bridge". County History Preservation Society. Archived from the original on October 20, 2002. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
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