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John Bright #2 (relocated), Fairfield County

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Inventory Number: OH/35-23-10
County: Fairfield County
Township: Lancaster
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: John Bright #2 (relocated)
Crosses: Fetters Run
Truss type: inverted Bowstring & Arch
Spans: 1
Length: 75'
Roadway Width:
Built: 1881 (M1988)
Builder: August Borneman
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N39 44.255
Longitude: W082 35.082
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 2.0 miles north of jct US22 on east side of OH37 on Ohio University, Lancaster campus. Park in the faculty parking lot and walk 0.1 miles northeast. North of Lancaster.

John Bright #2 Bridge (original location), Liberty, Fairfield County, OH Built 1881 Moved 1988
H. M. MacKenzie Photo, February 14, 1953, NSPCB Archives

John Bright #2 Bridge (current location), Liberty, Fairfield County, OH Built 1881 (M1988)
© Lisa Plamondon

John Bright #2 Bridge (current location), Liberty, Fairfield County, OH Built 1881 (M1988)
Larry Cunningham Photo

John Bright #2 Bridge (current location), Liberty, Fairfield County, OH Built 1881 (M1988)
Bill Caswell Photo, July 21, 2014

John Bright #2 Bridge (original location), Liberty, Fairfield County, OH Built 1881 Moved 1988
H. M. MacKenzie Photo, April 28, 1951, NSPCB Archives

Comments:
7-panel truss. Closed, moved to the Ohio University Campus in 1988. Successor to OH/35-23-179x. This bridge originally crossed Poplar Creek on Bish Road near Baltimore. It is named after pioneer settler John Bright, whose family farm was located near the original site. This bridge has a rare inverted bowstring truss and a unique metal sway bracing system. The arch is thought to have been added after original construction. In April of 1988 the bridge was moved 12 miles from Poplar Creek to Fetter’s Run at Ohio University Lancaster, where preservation efforts on the bridge were undertaken. Cooperation among Ohio University Lancaster, Fairfield County, local businesses and organizations, and volunteers enabled the completion of the project in 1990. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sources:
Clark, Todd. Information received by email, April 2010
Travis, Dale. 'Ohio Covered Bridges List', updated to 25 Aug 2004, http://www.dalejtravis.com/cblist/cboh.htm (23 Sep 2004)
Wood, Miriam. Ohio Covered Bridge Index, Fairfield County
Wood, Miriam F. & Simmons, David A.. Covered Bridges: Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, 2007, pages 183-184, 224
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 70

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