Adams Mill Covered Bridge - Carroll County Bridge 39, Cutler Indiana

Date added: December 28, 2023 Categories: Indiana Covered Bridges Howe Truss Burr Arch

Adams Mill Covered Bridge is one of only two covered bridges in Carroll County, and the only bridge in Indiana that combines a Howe truss with a Burr arch.

Adams Mill Bridge is significant because of its introduction of a Burr arch into an existing Howe truss bridge. Most covered bridges in the state built after 1880 were of the Howe truss type, as it was easy to assemble and could be shipped prefabricated. This truss substituted iron rods for wooden posts as tension members, thus eliminating one set of heavy timbers and providing a means of easy adjustment by turnbuckles on the ends of the iron rods. At the turn of the century, county commissioners decided that the bridge was bearing heavier loads than it could safely carry. Their response was to have a timber arch bolted to the existing bridge members. The truss panels of the Howe bridge are sandwiched between two sets of arch timbers. At present, there are only 22 Howe truss covered bridges and 57 Burr arch covered bridges in the state. Adams Mill is the only bridge in Indiana that incorporates both structural systems.

In 1871, the Carroll County Commissioners ordered two bridges from the Wheelock Bridge Company in Fort Wayne, Indiana, agents of R.W. Smith & Co. of Toledo, Ohio. The two bridges were built at a total cost of $12,237 (both bridges were bought with the same check), and are the only two covered bridges remaining in Carroll County. Adams Mill, south of the Adams Mill bridge, served the farmers of southern Carroll County. The mill building also housed the Wild Cat Masonic Lodge, and the Wild Cat post office was located nearby, making the area a center of activity for rural residents. Before the covered bridge was completed in 1872, farmers had to cross the 140' Wildcat Creek at a dangerous ford. The bridge made it possible to reach the mill and other local facilities more quickly and safely, which may have resulted in increased business for the mill. Covered bridges are commonly found near mills and mill sites in Indiana, reflecting the importance of grain mills in nineteenth-century society. Bridges were costly and were therefore usually located only in high-traffic areas, such as near mills and on major roads.

Adams Mill continued to play an important role in the local economy, as shown by the county commissioners' decision to reinforce the bridge in 1900 with the Burr arch so it could bear heavier loads of grain on their way to the mill. Although the bridge is now closed to vehicular traffic, it remains open to pedestrians.

Bridge Description

The Adams Mill Covered Bridge (1872) spans Wildcat Creek, a tree-lined stream about 140' wide, on an east-west alignment. It was closed to vehicular traffic in 1972, but is still used as a pedestrian bridge.

The structure of the bridge is a double Howe truss with a full-length Burr arch bolted to it. The bridge rests on two sets of iron abutments over white oak pilings. Although the abutments were only guaranteed for three years, they have lasted for over 120. At the point where the bridge meets the stream bank, it is supported on piers that were covered in concrete to stabilize the original materials.

The Adams Mill bridge is 160' in length with a clear height of 12'. As is typical of Howe truss bridges, the portal overhangs are cantilevered out from the end posts. The interior width is just over 15'. A gap of 3' between the top of the siding and the eaves provided light to the interior. Most of the siding is missing, but a few panels remain. Floor planks appear to be in good condition and relatively intact. Each truss panel is 8' wide and the diagonals are made from 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" timbers. The panels were prefabricated in Ohio, shipped flat, and assembled in Indiana. The timbers of the Burr arch are 5 1/2" x 11 1/2" and are bolted through the vertical posts with 2 3/4" bolts. The lower chord members are 3 1/2" x 11 1/2", four on each side. The board-and-batten siding was made of 12" x 1" lumber, of which only a few fragments remain. It was originally painted red, but the color was changed to white sometime before 1900. The gable ends are undecorated. The original wood shingle roof was replaced with asphalt shingles.