NEWVILLE COVERED BRIDGE

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The Newville Covered Bridge is no longer standing … it crossed the St. Joseph River in Section 6, Township 33 North, and Range 15 East, DeKalb County. This structure had a length of about 200 feet and was built in 1866 by William Valleau. The Newville Covered Bridge was listed in the World Guide (according to G. Gould's 1977 list) as #14-17-05 and lost in about 1875.

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• Regarding Covered Bridge Designations

The history of the first covered bridge in the county is obscure - not even the oldest residents of the county remember it or its history. On April 13, 1866, the Commissioners met "... for the purpose of letting the contract for Building a Bridge across the St. Joseph River at Newville ..." (Commissioners Record E, Page 64). On the following day the minutes indicate:

Ordered that the specifications of the said Newville Bridge be changed so as to have said Bridge Twenty feet in width from outside to outside, with such other changes as may be necessary in abutments and as will compare to the changed width.

After opening sundry bids and upon due consideration it is ordered that the contract for the building of said bridge be awarded to Wm Valleau the lowest bidder for the sum of five Thousand Dollars, and that a written contract, bond and advancements to the said contractor be entered into and made at the June Session of this Board (Commissioners Record E, Page 65).

 Twenty feet was unusually wide for a covered bridge, twelve or sixteen feet being more common. While no record can be found, it is believed that the length was about two hundred feet. The cost of five thousand dollars, when compared to the cost of bridges of known length, would tend to corroborate such length. This would have undoubtedly been the longest bridge in the county at that time.

At the June Session, 1866, the Commissioners appropriated the sum of five thousand, seven hundred dollars for the bridge "at Newville or Vienna to be partly under the superintendence of Solomon Delong..." Presumably the additional seven hundred dollars was for the expense of the superintendent.

On December 6, 1866, Silas H. Bartlett was "...allowed the additional sum of four hundred dollars for building the Abutments of the Newville Bridge." in the same day several orders were made:

Ordered by the Board that Valleau & Girswold be allowed the sum of tow hundred and five dollars for Butts, washers, and other materials furnished and extra labor performed on the Covered Bridge at Newville, Ind, as per amount on bill on file in these words and figures (he in) (Commissioners Record E, Page 125). 

Ordered by the Board that the Abutments of the Covered Bridge as constructed by Silas H. Bartlett at Newville are now here accepted and said Bartlett is relieved from any further work thereon, he, the said Bartlett having finished them according to the contract and received pay therefore.

Ordered by the Board that Wm. C. McGonigal be allowed the sum of ten dollars for making and painting signs for Newville Bridge as per statement of amount on bill in these words and figures (he in)

Ordered by the Board that the Superstructure of the Covered Bridge as constructed by Valleau & Griswold at Neville, deKalb County, Indiana, is now here accepted and said Valleau & Griswold are relieved from any further work thereon they, the said Valleau & Griswold having completed said bridge according to their contract, and having received pay therefor. (Commissioners Record E, Page 126).

 Wm. Valleau, Alpheus Wheelock, and John A. McKay were the contractors for the courthouse built in 1864. Wheelock and McKay were known bridge builders. Wheelock and McKay built the Dills Bridge and McKay built the Spencerville Bridge. Nothing is known of the Griswold and Silas H. Bartlett mentioned in the orders. The allowance of ten dollars to Wm. C. McGonigal for painting signs is interesting. This probably included the name and date of the bridge and other information such as "Walk your horse on this bridge."

The type of construction of the bridge is unknown. There are no known pictures of the Newville Covered Bridge and tis fate is unknown. The only clue found is an account of high water and ice washing out a later bridge at Newville in the April 4, 1812, St. Joe News. The later structure was described as "...nearly 200 feet long, the iron stringers being supported in the center by a wooden pier. Which consisted of piling encased with 2 inch planks." This bridge was "...between thirty and forty years old (reports differ) ... " the covered bridge would have therefore been destroyed between 1872 and 1882, assuming that the later structure replaced the covered bridge. This was a very short life span for a covered bridge.