Today’s Logan County Spotlight is on the Bickham Covered Bridge.
The Bickham Covered Bridge is located on County Road 38 between State Route 366 and County Road 98 near Indian Lake. The bridge is over the south fork of the Great Miami River.
It is one of two covered bridges that remain in Logan County. The other one is called McColly Covered Bridge on County Road 13.
The bridge was named after the Bickham family who came to the area and owned the land near the bridge in the 1820s.
In 1867, the county commissioners contracted for a wooden, uncovered bridge. After 10 years, the bridge deteriorated and the commissioners decided a roof was needed and the bridge was replaced.
In 1877, the Bickham Covered Bridge was built by the Smith Bridge Company of Toledo. They built a Howe truss bridge which is a specific type of truss configuration. The bridge was originally made out of white pine. After the Great Flood of 1913, the bridge had to be repaired.
It was renovated in 1959 to accommodate modern-day traffic. In 2002, a major reconstruction project was done as the bridge was restored and strengthened. The Righter Co. Inc. of Columbus was hired for the renovation. During the 2002 restoration, the outside of the bridge was restained red as it was originally stained red and was painted white at some later date. The Logan County Engineer’s Office felt that it was important to preserve the truth and facts of this historic structure to return the bridge to its original red color.
In November 2002, the restoration project was completed and a grand opening/ribbon-cutting ceremony was held.
Scott Coleman, Logan County Engineer, explains the major restoration process the Bickham Covered Bridge underwent in 2002:
In 2015, there was another restoration project completed. The exterior of the bridge was restained red, fire retardant paint was applied in the interior to help prevent the loss of the historical structure from vandalism, LED lights were added for aesthetic nighttime lighting, steel beams were repainted, several exterior siding pieces were replaced, and new flooring was put in.
Shortly after that, security cameras were installed because occasionally large vehicles, such as big box trucks, do not obey the vehicle clearance height limit strike and cause damage to the overhead framing. The security cameras are in place to help identify the vehicles and recover the costs. The Logan County Engineer’s Office must temporarily shut the bridge down to do repair work.
The bridge is a key attraction for many residents and visitors to the Indian Lake region as it is a beautiful historical structure.
Coleman explains why the Bickham Covered Bridge is a beautiful location for photography:
