Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article
Historic Treasure of the Week -
May 12, 2002
By Marylee Hagan
Vigo County Historical Society
Covered bridge crossed river at foot of old Main Street
The first river bridge at Terre Haute was built in the 1840s at the foot of Ohio Street. In 1864, it was replaced by the covered bridge pictured on the postcard that is today’s Historical Treasure. This newest addition to the Vigo County Historical Museum collection was recently donated by Todd Winfred. The postcard was made from a sketch of the old double wagon bridge drawn by Professor E.W. Cowan in May 1904.
The double bridge was at first a toll bridge with fees charged for crossing. If you crossed on foot, you paid a nickel. If you crossed with cows that were more than 3 years old, they were 8 cents per head. If the cows were under 3 years of age, they were 5 cents per head! Stagecoaches and fancy carriages cost 60 cents and mule-or ox-pulled wagons cost 50 cents.
Built primarily of poplar with some braces of oak, the bridge sat on massive limestone piers sunk deep into the riverbed. It was commonly called “the draw bridge” as two spans could be raised to allow boats to pass up and down the river. It was at the foot of Main Street (Wabash Avenue).
After a decade of paying tolls, citizens began to protest the repeated charges and in 1874, the county commissioners agreed to purchase the bridge for $80,000 and it became a free bridge.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The Web site: http://web.indstate.edu/community/vchs.