Bridges of Indiana's Counties - #18 - Gibson Co - Old Red

Old Red Covered Bridge
near Griffin, Indiana 
6/25/2011   dwm photo

Gibson County is close to Indiana's toe.  North of Evansville, it is home to two covered bridges.

When I visited 6 years ago Old Red stood next to a country road.

It was impressive, big and red.

From a recent online search for the bridge, I found a photo from earlier 2017 showing stone added along the drive/walk way leading to either side of the bridge and shoring up the footing on both ends.

While it crosses the Big Bayou Creek, the road next to it accomplishes the same task using a culvert.

The Navigator, in a story from 2014, tells its story.  The main frame was built in Pennsylvania, shipped to Cincinnati and moved to Gibson County via the Ohio and Wabash Rivers.

Mules and wagons hauled it the final few miles.

The frame started out of state.
(dwm)

Local builders built the floor from Burr Oak cut by local sawmills.  Siding and shingles were made nearby.

The single lane crossing served the community 100 years.  It was de-commissioned, but you can cross on foot.

It is good to see it on its feet.

The day of my visit, I didn't explore the bridge.  High weeds acted as an effective barrier and its surroundings didn't make a compelling background.

That's OK.  Not every piece of history is in the Smithsonian.

Old Red next to CR 650 (dwm)

We need pieces of history around the corner and down old country roads.

Old Red provides a look into lives of farmers, merchants, and families who saved time thanks to the bridge.  Saving travel time changed lives then, like a four lane highway makes life faster now.

Seek history - in books; in stories; and in pieces of our past.

Gibson County
Internet image

Bridge Facts:
Old Red Covered Bridge
Built:
1875
Location:
Beside County Road 650, Gibson County
Style:
Smith Type IV Truss
Length:
170 feet over Big Bayou Creek