Cedar Chapel Covered Bridge, DeKalb County, Indiana

CEDAR CHAPEL COVERED BRIDGE

The Cedar Chapel Covered Bridge originally crossed Cedar Creek, south of Garrett, on or near where 68th Road intersects in Sections 26 and 35, Township 33 North, and Range 12 East, DeKalb County. This is the last surviving bridge built by George Woerntz & Son. In 1966 the Cedar Chapel Covered Bridge had to be moved to make way for a new road leading to Interstate 69 and, after sitting along the roadside for six years, was sold to Conner Prairie in Hamilton County. For the next twenty-five years the structure remained protected on the museum's property and finally, after numerous plans for the structure was discussed, a commitment was made to restore it for public use. On July 12, 2001, officials from the Indiana Governor's Office presented a check for $240,000 to representatives from Conner Prairie and the Town of Fishers (awarded as a Transportation Enhancement Grant) toward relocating, preserving and restoring the Cedar Chapel Covered Bridge. This single span Howe Truss structure is 110 feet long, or 124 feet including the 7-foot overhang at each end, 12 feet wide and 13 feet high. It is now an integral part of Conner Prairie's newest historic area in Section 13, Township 18 North, and Range 4 East, which features elements of rural Indiana farm life in 1886. The Cedar Chapel Covered Bridge provides a literal bridge through time as visitors leave the Village of Prairietown, set in the year 1836, and cross into 1886. The Cedar Chapel Covered Bridge was listed as #14-29-02 (this number having been previously used to identify the Noblesville Covered Bridge) in the 1972 World Guide and identified as #14-07-03 when located in DeKalb County.

Larger images are available by clicking on these thumbnail representations.

The following history of the Cedar Chapel 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.

The Cedar Chapel Covered Bridge was also built in 1884 and credited to George A. Woerntz. It was located over Cedar Creek in Butler Township on what is now DeKalb County Road 68. It is of Howe Truss construction , in 110 feet long plus overhans of seven feet at each end, twleve feet wide, and thriteen feet high.

In his book Covered Bridges on the Byways of Indiana, Bryan E. Ketcham states:

One reason for the charm of Indiana's wooden covered bridges is the varying moods about many of them. A striking example is to be found in Cedar Chapel Bridge.

In the early morning light one may see the freeshness of the dawn. Toward evening a reverence is felt as the sunlight filters through the leaves as if coming through the stained-glass windows of some great cathedral. This spot has been rightly named Cedar Chapel.

Unfortunately, the bridge was located on a road on which there was to be an overpass at Interstate Highway 69. The indiana State Highway Department determined that the bridge had to be replaced. The newly formed DeKalb County Historical Society attempted to save the bridge. The Society purchased the bridge from the indiana State Highway Department for one dollar. Butler and Butler Construction Company of Spenerville and Auburn contracted to move the bridge into a woded area immediately southeast of the bridge.

The bridge was moved on February 8 and 9, 1966. Much of the siding and flooring was removed to decrease the weight. The move was successful and the bridge was undamaged. It was hoped that the DeKalb County Council and commissioners would establish a county park board so that federal funds then available could be obtained to establish a park at the site of the bridge. County office holders refused to do so, and due to the lack of response from the public the Historical Society was unable to raise sufficient funds to pay for the initial moving of the birdge. The bridge remained at the site, the frequent target of vandals and scavengers.

In 1972 the Historical Society sold Cedar Chapel Covered Bridge to Conner Prairie Pioneer Settlement south of Noblesville, Indiana for $1343, said sume being the remainder of the debt for moving the bridge from its original location . . . Cedar Chapel Covered Bridge was dismantled and moved to the Conner Prairie Pioneer Settlement in the summer of 1972.

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