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Huffman Mill, Perry County

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Inventory Number: IN/14-62-01 / IN-74-01
County: Perry County / Spencer County
Township: Anderson - Harrison
Town/Village: Huffman
Bridge Name: Huffman Mill
Crosses: Anderson River
Truss type: Burr
Spans: 1
Length: 136' floor, 156' roofline
Roadway Width:
Built: 1864
Builder: William T. Washer
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N38 06.240
Longitude: W086 46.628
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: At Huffman on a bypassed section of Huffman Mill Rd.

Huffman Mill Bridge, Anderson-Harrison, Perry & Spencer Counties, IN Built 1864
Bill & Jenn Caswell Photo, November 13, 2019


Huffman Mill Bridge, Anderson-Harrison, Perry & Spencer Counties, IN Built 1864
Richard Donovan / Trish Kane Collection


Huffman Mill Bridge, Anderson-Harrison, Perry & Spencer Counties, IN Built 1864
Dale J. Travis Photo


Huffman Mill Bridge, Anderson-Harrison, Perry & Spencer Counties, IN Built 1864
Bill & Jenn Caswell Photo, November 13, 2019

Comments:
7-5S-3W. 16-panel truss. This bridge is 15' 6" wide and 11' 6" high. Built in 1864 for the sum of $5,700 by William T. Washer, this bridge was named for its close proximity to the nearby Mill, which was built by George Huffman. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. Per the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, marked received March 6, 1998, "The bridge derives its name from the Huffman family, early settlers to the Indiana Territory. George Huffman first arrived in present-day Perry County in 1804 from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In approximately 1808 he moved to Kentucky, but returned to the Anderson River region of Indiana in 1812. Within several years the family became prosperous, eventually amassing some 1100 acres of land where they farmed, lumbered, and raised stock. As a farmer, George Huffman realized the dilemma that the lack of local milling operations posed his neighbors. Typically, round-trip travel of some 60 miles was required to grind corn for meal and flour. In response, Huffman built a crude water-driven flour and grist mill, circa 1816. This water mill is alleged to be the first such apparatus built in Southern Indiana. Customers of the mill, who often came from as far as 20 miles away, included a young Abraham Lincoln, whose family resided in Spencer County. The construction of a mill encouraged settlement in the area. As a result, Huffman sold lands from his holdings to new arrivals, and a small community known simply as Huffman Mill began to grow. The community soon boasted a school, church, and physician, to which Huffman added a blacksmith shop and general store. To compliment the grist mill, he built a saw mill where the timbers for Abraham Lincoln's flatboat were alleged to be cut. The demand for milled products increased with the rise in population, prompting Huffman to replace the first mill with a steam-powered version. When this second mill burned it was replaced by a third; a water-driven turbine wheel. The third mill necessitated a dam that often caused flooding of nearby farms. As a result, the fourth and final mill, driven by steam, was constructed. This last Huffman Mill was demolished in 1906, ending a family operation that thrived for more than seven generations, and a business that spurred a still extant community. Prior to the Civil War access to the Huffman community required crossing the Anderson River between Perry and Spencer Counties. This necessitated swimming, rafting, or horseback travel. Yet at times of heavy rains such travel proved impossible. Increasing county populations necessitated improved roadway access between the two counties. In addition, the steady increase of commerce and industry required bridge construction over waterways, connecting such counties and facilitating business growth. To remedy this transportation dilemma, Spencer and Perry County Commissions cooperated in formulating plans to finance the construction of a series of covered bridges. Subsequently, Huffman Mill Bridge became one of five such transportation links between Perry and Spencer Counties, allowing ease in travel and trade between the communities. Special session records of the Perry County Commission of July 23, 1864 confirm a contractual agreement with William T. Washer for a "bridge across the Anderson River near John H. Huffman's Mill... of the Burr Truss Plan with arches." Total payment was to be ten thousand dollars in "good and lawfull money of the United States". Installment payments to William T. Washer for both material and labor are documented throughout Perry County Commission records for 1864 and 1865. Without question, the crucial factor in the site selection for the Huffman Mill Bridge, the bridge's very existence, was the location of the mill itself. The mill was an early economic and social gathering place that subsequently spawned a thriving community. Without the mill and its supporting town, it is highly unlikely the bridge's site would have been chosen. Completed and opened for travel in the summer of 1865, the bridge at long last eliminated transportation hardships for the mill community. It continues in operation today, although the last Huffman Mill was demolished in 1906. The bridge has closed only once since it was erected, and then only temporarily, for repairs in 1988. It survives as a subtle reminder of ever-advancing transportation and engineering modes, as well as a testimony to its remarkable construction. There is, however, limited information available on the builder, William T. Washer, of Cannelton, Indiana. Available sources estimate that he constructed some twenty covered bridges throughout southwestern Indiana, including two of the five that once linked Perry and Spencer Counties: the Huffman Mill and Shoals. Washer used a variety of truss methods, specifically the Smith and Burr (with modifications). It is likely that the Huffman Mill Covered Bridge is the single extant example of his modified Burr Arch Truss. It is the last covered bridge serving Perry and Spencer Counties, as the Shoals and three others linking the two counties were demolished prior to 1968. For the Huffman Mill Covered Bridge, 132 years of continuous service to the Spencer and Perry County communities is[t] serves strongly attests to superior construction. Most of the original 1865 material remains in good condition. The structure retains its historically significant design."
Sources:
Ketcham, Bryan E.. Covered Bridges on the Byways of Indiana, 1949, page 27
Gould, George E.. Indiana's Covered Bridges Thru the Years, 1977
County History Preservation Society (no longer accessible). Covered Bridges of Indiana, 2002, http://www.countyhistory.com/coveredbridge/perry5.htm
Travis, Dale. 'Indiana Covered Bridges List', updated to 11 Feb 2005, http://www.dalejtravis.com/cblist/cbin.htm (8 Mar 2005)
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 26

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