NORRIS FORD COVERED BRIDGE

photo by Bill Walden

Pictures Map Info.

The Norris Ford Covered Bridge crosses the Big Flatrock River in Sections 61 and 21, Township 14 North, and Range 10 East, on County Road 300 North near County Road 150 East, about three miles northeast of Rushville, Rush County. This single span Burr Arch Truss structure has a length of 154 feet, or 170 feet including the 8-foot overhang at each end, with a portal clearance 16 feet wide by 14 feet high. Built in 1916 by Emmet L. Kennedy, this is the only Kennedy span with sixteen panels. The floor system consists of two layers of Oak deck supported on longitudinal stringers, which are supported by transverse floor beams, and trusses support the floor beams, all being constructed of Northern Pine. Named for the nearby farm of Oliver Norris, though no historical marker is present, the Norris Ford Covered Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. In 2000 the Allocation Plan of the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program provided $200,000, along with $55,000 from other sources, to be used for structural repairs. The Norris Ford Covered Bridge is listed as #17-70-08 in the 1972 World Guide.

• Covered Bridge Project Resources

• Regarding Covered Bridge Designations