Houlton Covered Bridge, DeKalb County, Indiana

HOULTON COVERED BRIDGE

photo by M. L. Davies

The Houlton Covered Bridge is no longer standing … it crossed Fish Creek in Section 1, Township 35 North, and Range 14 East, on or near County Road 4A just north of Butler, DeKalb County, two and one-half miles southeast of Hamilton, Steuben County. Located on what was once call the Bellefountaine Trail, this single span Howe Truss structure had a length of 103 feet, or 117 feet including the 7-foot overhang at each end, with a portal clearance 12 feet wide by 12 feet high. The Houlton Covered Bridge was built in 1884 by George Woerntz & Son and was named in honor of Samuel Houlton who built a mill nearby in 1827; The Holton Covered Bridge was lost in May, 1963.

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The following history of the Houlton Covered Bridge was presented in the July 1973 "Vanguard" special edition commemorating the centennial of the Spencerville Covered Bridge with the kind permission of its author, John Martin Smith.

Heavy rains and flood conditions washed out many bridges in the spring of 1884. The bridge over Fish Creek on the Bellefountaine Road in Franklin Township was replaced by a covered bridge.

Little reference can be found to either the Houlton or Cedar Chapel Bridges in the Commissioners Record. Nor formal contract was let for either. According to Henry A. Link of Waterloo, the Commissioners who were elected in the 1882 election campaigned on the premise that they would build their own bridges and thereby save the taxpayers money.

Nonetheless, George A. Woerntz is credited as the builder of both Houlton and Cedar Chapel Bridges. He is reported to have been a "roving eastern bridge builder" who settled in DeKalb County. He had a machine shop at Auburn Junction. His house still stands about one mile south of Auburn Junction. the abutments and approaches of both the Houlton and Cedar Chapel Bridges were built by Charles Rugman of Butler Township.

Mr. Link personally remembers the original appearance of the Houlton Covered Bridge. There were cupolas on each end of the bridge, and the sides were of the "French Louver" type construction. the architecture was striking and much different from the county's other bridges. The cupolas were removed and traditional siding applied about 1910. There is no known picture of the bridge in its original state.

The Houlton Bridge was 103 feet long plus overhangs of seven feet at each end, twelve feet wide, and twelve feet high. It was of the Howe Truss type of construction.