Forsythe Covered Bridge, Moscow Indiana

Date added: January 06, 2024 Categories: Indiana Covered Bridges Burr Arch Multiple Kingpost Truss

The Forsythe Bridge derives its name from Asa Forsythe, who operated a gristmill in the area from 1870 to 1884. The Forsythe Bridge is thought to be the longest single span bridge ever attempted by the Kennedy Firm, and at 186 feet is more than twice as long as the Offutt Bridge. The portal facades feature typical Kennedy detailing, including scroll-sawn trim and paired cornice brackets. This was the only bridge erected by the Kennedy firm in 1888, as iron bridges were proving to be strong competition for the Kennedys and others in their trade. Only four more bridges would be constructed by the Kennedy family before this tradition came to an end.

Local bridge builder Emmett L. Kennedy and his company built the Forsythe Bridge in 1888. The Kennedy family of Rushville, Indiana built nearly sixty covered bridges in their home state. Kennedy bridges are distinguished primarily by their housing; scrollwork and cornice brackets at the portals, horizontal wood siding, and whitewashed exteriors. Nearly all, including the Forsythe Bridge, use the Burr arch-truss system. At 186' long, the Forsythe Bridge is the longest single span bridge the family constructed and is an excellent example of the Kennedy family's accomplishments in bridge building. The Forsythe Bridge carries County Road 650 South across Big Flat Rock River, 2 1/2 miles northeast of Moscow, Orange Township, Rush County, Indiana.

In the early nineteenth century, several important patent designs had proved the strength and resourcefulness of covered wooden trusses. Timber bridges quickly became more popular than stone bridges since they were less expensive to construct, called for materials that were easy to come by, could span greater widths, and required skills that local builders and carpenters already possessed. The addition of roofs and siding protected the wooden truss members and joints from the elements, thereby considerably increasing their life spans. The height of the covered wooden bridge era was the 1870s.

Between 1820 and 1922, at least 600 covered wooden bridges were built in Indiana. A handful of bridge-building companies and individuals were responsible for a bulk of the covered bridges in Indiana. J.J. Daniels and J.A. Britton were each prolific builders in and around Parke County, west of Indianapolis. On the other side of the capital, three generations of the Kennedy family reigned in this industry. Daniels, Britton, and the Kennedys built at least 158 bridges in Indiana. Another company involved in Indiana covered bridge construction was Ohioan Robert W. Smith and his Smith Bridge Company, who worked out of Toledo, but built several bridges in neighboring Indiana.

In nineteenth-century Indiana, the county commissioners let bridge contracts. A similar three-member Board of Commissioners still governs the county. In the nineteenth century, the life of a bridge often began many months before its construction. A petition might be circulated and presented to the commissioners who would then agree to apportion county monies to the cause and subsequently order specifications from a local builder, an engineer, or a county employee. A call for bids would appear in the local newspaper, and often the Indianapolis newspaper, at least twice. The call would ask for proposals for bridges that followed the specifications available in the auditor's office. At the arranged date, the county commissioners would convene a special meeting to open the bids and let the contract. Contractors and builders were sometimes present at these meetings.

On May 23^rd, 1888, the Rush County Commissioners proceeded to receive sealed bids for the construction of a Bridge across Flat Rock at Forsythe. The records of the commissioners include a list of each proposal for both the superstructure and for the substructure. Twenty-three bids from fourteen different contractors were submitted for the superstructure, including one bid from the Smith Bridge Company and four separate proposals from Emmett L. Kennedy. The Columbus Company submitted the highest bid at $5,782.80, while the lowest ($3,392), came from the Wisconsin Bridge Company. At this meeting, the board accepted "the proposition of E.L. Kennedy to construct said bridge according to Plan 3 for the sum of $3700.00." Emmett Kennedy's alternate proposals, all for wooden bridges, were $4,205, $4,000, and $3,500. There is no hint in this record as to the differences between the four proposals. The Rushville Republican noted the following day that the "court was well attended by bridge builders."

At the May 23^rd meeting, bids were opened and awarded for a second bridge, this one across Mud Creek, also in Orange Township. E.L. Kennedy submitted three bids for this structure but lost to the Variety Bridge Company. This bridge must have been substantially smaller since the bids for the superstructure ranged only from $500 to $1,264.20.

While the contract for the bridge superstructure was not in the Commissioner's Records, completion of the superstructure was recorded on October 6^th, 1888. A payment of $3,800 was allowed at that date to Emmett Kennedy. The Rushville Republican noted that "the approaches are to be built by the people of the neighborhood, without expense to the county, unless the cost exceeds $600."

The masonry structures that supported the wooden trusses were often built under a separate contract. This part, called the substructure, required different skills, materials, and experts. Although sometimes the superstructure contractor was in charge, often a separate bid and contract were allowed. For example, J.J. Daniels in Parke County drafted abutments, piers, and pilings, and referred to these features in his bridge proposal specifications. However, while the Kennedys may have supervised or visited the site during construction of the abutments, the contract was actually awarded separately at Forsythe.

Bids for the Forsythe Bridge substructure (abutments) were also opened at the May 23^rd meeting. Four proposals were submitted. The commissioners awarded the contract to Smith Bussell, "his being the lowest & best bid" at $7.34 per yard for the masonry, $15.00 per thousand for the timber, 34 cents per cubic yard for the wet excavation, and 10 cents per yard for the dry excavation. On May 24^th, 1888, a contract with Smith Bussell for the substructure of the bridge was recorded. Bussell completed the work on or before August 14^th, at which time the commissioners allowed him the remainder of his pay. In total, Bussell received $2,697.20 for the Forsythe Bridge substructure.

On October 6^th, 1888, after the bridge was complete, James Keating became superintendent of the building of the approaches. In total, then, building the Forsythe Bridge cost the county at least $6,497.20.

Bridge Description

The Forsythe Bridge is composed of a 186' single-span wooden Burr arch and a twenty-two panel multiple kingpost truss. The bridge is immediately surrounded by woods, but beyond that, residences and farms stretch out in all directions. It is a quiet location and not heavily traveled, even though there is no easier alternate route. The Big Flat Rock River travels below the bridge in a southerly direction. The bridge is supported at the riverbanks by carefully pointed cut stone abutments." The stepped wing walls that lead from the roadway at each corner of the bridge down to the riverbanks are an unusual feature.

The multiple kingpost design arranges strong, vertical posts at 8'-3" intervals, connected to a top and bottom chord that run the length of the truss. Diagonal braces connect the posts to each other from bottom to top toward the center of the truss. A set of arches is then imposed upon the truss on either side of the posts and braces for added strength.

The upper and lower chords are each made up of two parallel timbers that function as a single chord. The diagonal braces fit into the vertical posts via double-step joints at both ends. The chords at both top and bottom sandwich the posts. The arches are bolted to the posts and, through that, to each other with a pair of threaded metal bolts. A small number of timber segments are connected with a lap joint to create each arch. These segments are joined at the posts, where the arch is notched into the verticals. The arches sandwich the lower chords on their way to the footing at the abutment and rest directly on skewbacks at the abutments.

Overhead tie beams sit on the top chords beside each post. Diagonal braces form X's in the overhead panels and are joined at their ends to the tie beams with mortise and tenon framing and an adjustable wooden wedge. These wooden wedges in the joints of the bracing allow for added tension as the bridge has changed with age and exposure. The roof is sheet metal covered with shingles. The eaves extend about 1' from the siding. There is a window on either side near the center of the bridge.

Heavy lateral beams, spaced regularly beside the vertical posts and on top of the lower chords, make up the floor system. Diagonal braces form X's to connect the lower chords to add lateral support. On top of the beams, irregularly spaced stringers run longitudinally across the bridge. The deck is composed of a layer of longitudinal wooden planks on top of lateral planks that in turn rest on the stringers. A guardrail runs the length of the deck and is attached to the truss.

The portal opening is 15'-9" wide, with a vertical clearance of about 13'-8". Horizontal clapboard sheathing protects the sides of the bridge, while the portal faces are of vertical planks. There is no space between the top of the sheathing and the eaves, making the bridge dark and still.' The entire bridge is painted white. The details on the portal are distinctive Kennedy touches. Wooden scrollwork, now painted dark green, decorates the face of the portal on either side of the rounded arched opening. There are five pairs of decorative brackets in the gable's cornice. In the tympanum, dark green stenciling reads "Built by E.L. Kennedy 1881."