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Riddle Hill, Sangamon County

If you find errors in the data please contact Bill Caswell.

If you would like to provide information on covered bridges that no longer exist from your state, or adopt a state to work on, we would certainly welcome your assistance. Please contact Trish Kane for more information.

Inventory Number: IL/13-84-01x
County: Sangamon County
Township: Gardner
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: Riddle Hill
Crosses: Spring Creek
Truss type: Burr
Spans: 1
Length: 100' or 80'
Roadway Width:
Built: 1883
Builder: Bucher
When Lost: 26 Dec 1977
Cause: Arson
Latitude: N39 48.070
Longitude: W089 43.609
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 4 miles west of Springfield.

Riddle Hill Bridge, Gardner, Sangamon County, IL Built 1883 Arson 26 Dec 1977
A.G. Kistler Photo, May 1940

Riddle Hill Bridge, Gardner, Sangamon County, IL Built 1883 Arson 26 Dec 1977
Trish Kane/Richard Donovan Collection

Riddle Hill Bridge, Gardner, Sangamon County, IL Built 1883 Arson 26 Dec 1977
Todd Clark Collection

Comments:
Thelma Eaton's book lists this as an 80' Burr arch while the World Guide has it as a 100' Howe truss. In 1957, George Gould noted that this bridge was in poor condition. 6-panel truss.

Sources:
Lane, Oscar F.. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 1972, page 12
Eaton, Thelma. The Covered Bridges of Illinois, 1968, page 184
National Society For the Preservation of Covered Bridges. Covered Bridge Topics, Volume XXXVI, No. 2, Spring 1978, page 15
National Society For the Preservation of Covered Bridges. Covered Bridge Topics, Volume XV, No. 2, July 1957, page 4