White River Bridge
Covered Bridge
The two-span White River Covered Bridge was located at Elliston, just south of the present site of the Southern Indiana Railroad Bridge, which was once known as the Illinois Central Bridge. The 375-foot wooden bridge was completed in 1885.
M. Kennedy and Sons from Rushville, Indiana, was awarded the contract on June 26, 1883, to build the long covered bridge across White River. This company had just completed the Richland Creek Covered Bridge in 1883 when they received the new contract. Richland Creek flows into the West Fork of White River, and the Richland Creek Covered Bridge spans the creek near this junction. The river bridge to be built was about two miles north of the covered bridge over Richland Creek.
The bridge stood the test of time but slipped quietly into the water at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10, 1957, after high water had undermined the east approach. Erwin Ramsey, who was planting in a nearby field, said that the old gray wooden bridge fell slowly. The only noise he heard was the cracking of the strained timbers as the bridge lowered into the water.
A crevice across the east approach had slowly grown wider during the day. Reports indicated that at least a 100 people had crossed the 72-year-old structure on Wednesday before it fell. Henry Bough, an employee of the Greene County Highway Department, was informed the old bridge was unsafe for traffic and had been sent to close it to the public.
Bough parked his truck on the east end of the bridge as he was preparing to mark the official closing of the bridge to the public with flares and red flags at the west entrance. However, before he could reach the west side, he felt the bridge begin to sway and twist. Suddenly a groan and a shudder rocked the bridge, and it began to dip toward the river. By running as fast as he could, Bough managed to reach the west end opening as the old bridge splintered and fell apart a few feet in back of him. Less than 75 feet of the 375-foot bridge remained.
Hundreds of people were attracted to the site of the collapsed bridge as news circulated. The hazardous approach area that remained at the west end was blasted into the river on Wednesday evening, July 10, 1957, for the safety of the curious who wandered to the edge to peer at the fallen structure in the river.
The collapse of the old covered bridge actually came as quite a shock to the citizens of Greene County. During the winter of 1954-1955, the county had paid $37,013.05 to the William H. Burger Company of Chicago for repairs to the bridge. However, no thought was given to the undermining of the giant stone piers.
As a result of the heavy rains and flash floods that had occurred earlier in July, the water had undercut the east bank of the river and caused the abutment to weaken, allowing the huge old bridge to collapse. Authorities had verified that the river had risen to within three and a half feet of the all-time record set in 1913.
After the covered bridge collapsed, the county provided a ferry to move the tractors and other farm equipment across the river. The service was eventually disbanded as the barge would often break loose from its mooring and float down stream. The roads leading to the approaches of the covered bridge are now dead-end roads.
This information was used with permission from the Linton-Stockton School Corporation.
