Illinois Covered Bridge - Sugar Creek

The Sugar Creek Covered Bridge. 5/24/2019 dwm photo

A bridge has crossed Sugar Creek at this spot southeast of Chatham, Illinois for nearly 200 years.

The first bridge was apparently a conventional crossing replaced with a covered bridge in 1880 by Thomas Black.

It carried traffic for 100 years before retiring as a small park was created around it.

This was the first of three Illinois covered bridges I visited on a trip from Wisconsin to Indianapolis.  It was easy to find.

The bridge is nestled amidst trees.  5/26/2019    (dwm)

The quiet area is a mix of farmland and homes owned by people escaping the city.

The bridge is the primary feature of Pioneer Park.  Flood waters receded, but a lot of the grass was quite soggy and some of the walking paths on the west side of the bridge were too muddy to attempt.

The bridge has interesting design elements with cross beams down each side, supplemented with arches spanning the bridge deck.

When the State of Illinois acquired the bridge in 1963, it was rehabilitated.  The largest part of their work is mostly unseen, an infrastructure of steel beams under it.

Bridgehunter.com describes this as a
Covered Burr Arch truss.  5/26/19 (dwm)

The bridge is one of five Illinois bridges dating back to the 19th century (Young - 1890; Henderson - 1865; Knox - 1874; Little Mary's - 1854; Thompson Mill - 1887).

You will see Thompson Mill next Thursday; the Little Mary's bridge is a full - day drive away from me.  I hope to reach it sometime next year.

See more Illinois bridges - plus Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin by following this link.