Just west of New Concord, Ohio, is one of the state’s relatively numerous ‘S’ bridges still standing – the Fox Run ‘S’ Bridge – right up against a four-lane segment of U.S. 40.
Built in 1828, this bridge seems to be unique in that I’ve seen it under three different names: the “Fox Run S Bridge,” the “Fox Creek S Bridge” and “S Bridge II.” Like most of the S bridges in Ohio and Pennsylvania, a small park surrounds the structure, which is open to pedestrians. However, as I found out, the bridge isn’t very friendly to visitors in the winter, as the small designated parking area and the bridge itself aren’t kept free of snow.
A marker at the bridge.
An information marker on the east end of the bridge gives a little more information than a standard state historical marker, including mentioning that ”the Fox Creek Crooked Creek area [was] a bastion of Abolitionism before and during the Civil War,” that every township in Ohio along the National Road doubled in population in a decade after the road was built and that the National Road was bricked over in 1919 to transport heavy equipment during World War I. Apparently, this bridge was the last part of the road to be bricked over. The bridge was used at least until the 1930s or 1940s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
If I get a chance, I would rather see this bridge without snow on the ground. There’s supposed to be a path that leads down to the creek to let visitors see the structure closer. Parking (when there’s no snow on the ground) is located on the west end of the bridge.
January 15th, 2013 at 14:19
I visited this site one very hot Memorial Day weekend and indeed you can walk down to the creek and even under the bridge on the path. It’s very cool. The Historic American Engineering Record has a photo of this bridge from the early 30s showing the modern US 40 already built alongside it, bypassing it.
January 18th, 2013 at 18:30
Yes, this bridge does seem like a much more “interactive” place than the other bridges – at least when the weather is nice!