GEORGETOWN COVERED BRIDGE

Pictures Info.

The Georgetown Covered Bridge is no longer standing … it crossed the Wabash River in Section 35, Township 27 North, and Range 1 West, Cass County. This Howe Truss structure was the longest covered bridge ever built in Indiana measuring about 1000 feet. Built from walnut timbers, the 7-span (appears to have been 5 covered spans and a ramp at each portal) Georgetown Covered Bridge was constructed in 1883 and lost in 1912 when an ice gorge formed on the river and systematically lifted the individual sections from their foundations. The Georgetown Covered Bridge was listed as #14-09-01 in the World Guide (according to G. Gould's 1977 list).

Some discrepancies in the information found on this structure have led me to question if it was 1000 feet in length without including the ramps, however, Charles Dinsmore feels the potential length of 200 feet for each covered span is a reasonable possibility but questions whether the structure was actually made of walnut. Early in Indiana bridge construction huge walnut timbers were available to builders such as Wolfe, however, by the time the Georgetown Covered Bridge was constructed this material had become the standard for most quality furniture, in other words, the expense of using walnut timbers would have been tremendous compared to the less expensive and more available woods such as poplar and white pine that were commonly used for this purpose during this period.

• Covered Bridge Project Resources

• Regarding Covered Bridge Designations