National Register of Historic Places

Laughery Creek Bridge

Aurora, Dearborn County, Indiana
Listed
September 28, 1976
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
76000018

About this property

The Laughery Creek Bridge is the only known example of a triple Whipple truss bridge; it is located on the border of Dearborn County, Indiana, and Ohio County, Indiana. It crosses Laughery Creek. This bridge was built in 1868. The Wrought Iron Bridge Company, a prolific late 19th-century bridge company, constructed the bridge. The bridge is seated on stone abutments. The deck surface is not original and is currently concrete. The bridge, nearly 300 feet (91 m) in length, is a single-span, pin-connected, triple-intersection Whipple through truss, and is the only example in the world of this truss type. The name bridge's nickname, "Triple Whipple Bridge" is a play on words. The double-intersection Pratt, which was called the Whipple truss configuration, was a far more common variation of the standard Pratt configuration. Since the Laughery Creek Bridge's members have three intersections instead of two, this gives rise to the "Triple Whipple" name. This bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. After closing in the 1970s, the bridge fell into serious disrepair, landing it on Indiana's 10 Most Endangered places list in 1993. A combination of federal funds and matching funds from Dearborn and Ohio Counties allowed the bridge to be refurbished and converted to pedestrian use in 2009.

Location

Aurora, Dearborn County, Indiana
39.02461, -84.88589

Categories

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National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

River View Cemetery
Listed
0.3 mi
Veraestau
Industrial
1.4 mi
First Evangelical United Church of Christ
Industrial
2.1 mi
Stevens, Levi, House
Industrial
2.1 mi
First Presbyterian Church
Industrial
2.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Laughery Creek Bridge listed on the National Register?

Laughery Creek Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 28, 1976.

What type of historic resource is Laughery Creek Bridge?

Laughery Creek Bridge is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Laughery Creek Bridge?

The period of significance for Laughery Creek Bridge is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Laughery Creek Bridge?

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