Spencerville Covered Bridge, Spencerville Indiana

Date added: January 04, 2024 Categories: Indiana Covered Bridges Smith Truss

The Spencerville Covered Bridge is significant as the only surviving covered bridge in northeastern Indiana, and is one of only six remaining Smith trusses in the state.

From 1820 to 1922, some 600 covered bridges were constructed in Indiana, of which only 98 remain. The Smith truss was one of the less common types, with only twenty ever constructed in Indiana. The most common were the Howe and Burr trusses.

The Smith truss, a variation of the Howe, was patented by Robert W. Smith of the Smith Bridge Company (Toledo, Ohio) in 1867, and again with improvements in 1869. It is said that none of the bridges followed his patents exactly, as he continued to make improvements with each job. Bridges with the Smith truss were built in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Oregon. Although Smith trusses are considered to be weaker than some others, the Spencerville bridge has survived continued use and several floods.

Spencerville was an important commercial center for the southeastern part of the county The Spencerville grist and sawmills were located on the west side of the river. An 1863 map indicates that a bridge was located at the site of the present bridge, suggesting that this was a strategic location providing access to the grist and sawmills. The first legal notice for the Spencerville Covered Bridge appeared in the July 10th, 1873 Waterloo Press. The contract was awarded to John A. McKay, who was one of the agents for the Smith Bridge Company. McKay had worked with Alpheus Wheelock on constructing the DeKalb County Courthouse ten years earlier, and on the Dills Covered Bridge, also a Smith truss, two miles upstream in 1868. The Spencerville bridge was essentially completed in December of 1873. This bridge, like many of the bridges from the Smith Bridge Company, was probably assembled from parts that were cut in Toledo and shipped.

Bridge Description

The Spencerville Covered Bridge, erected in 1873, spans the St. Joseph River on a minor road in DeKalb County. The bridge stands in a broad flood plain which requires the roadway approaches to be constructed of earth embankments and piers. In 1916 the original wood piers near the west abutment were replaced with poured concrete piers. In 1920 the concrete approach and additional waterway were installed on the west end. The original wood piers on the east end were replaced with concrete in 1922.

The bridge itself is a Smith Type 4 truss. The Smith truss, a variation on the Howe truss, was patented by Robert W. Smith of the Smith Bridge Company in Toledo, Ohio. The Smith truss rarely had vertical posts. The timbers between the two chords were braces set at a 45-degree angle and counterbraces set a 65-degree angle. Type 4 was the strongest, as it had further reinforcements of both double and single sets of diagonals. The Spencerville bridge has additional vertical metal rods.

The bridge is 146 feet long, according to the minutes from the September 1^st, 1873 session of the DeKalb County Commissioners. It is constructed of Michigan White Pine, as were most Smith bridges. Smith bridges were frequently precut, framed or assembled loosely, disassembled, and then shipped to the site for assembly.

The board and batten siding of the Spencerville Bridge is painted red. Openings in the sides near the east end enable a driver going east to see approaching traffic on the road. The side openings are protected by wood awnings. The siding stops short of the upper chord, allowing light and ventilation into the structure. The bridge is sheltered by a gabled roof, which was covered with new cedar shingles in 1970.

The gabled roof projects beyond the ends of the bridge, supported by knee bracing, and sheltering the entrances. This bracing is sheathed in board and batten siding, which continues a short distance inside the bridge, protecting the end panels from the elements. A sign above each rectangular opening says, "Spencerville 1873,"

In 1954 the sills and flooring were replaced. The Spencerville Covered Bridge has been well maintained over the years, and is in good repair.