January 2006
Aurora IN - Laughery Creek Bridge
We've probably passed this bridge dozens of times but never really had it register that it was such an historic bridge. It was built in 1878 by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton OH, and is the only Triple Whipple style bridge left standing in the U.S. The Whipple, patented in 1847, was a Pratt in which the tension-bearing diagonals crossed two panels, as opposed to just one in the Pratt. The Laughery Bridge takes the Whipple design one step further by crossing three panels. It spans 302 feet over Laughery Creek close where it dumps into the Ohio River. The bridge sits just off of Indiana Route 56 just west of Aurora Indiana.
As of 2009 this bridge has been completely restored, and while we don’t have pictures here, it looks like brand new and is worth a visit on the way to the casino in Rising Sun.
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