Skip to main content
Duck Creek Aqueduct Covered Bridge
Main Category
Sub Category
Era
Date Created
Location Country
US
Coordinates
39.446342, -85.129974
Address1
19001-19041 Pennington Rd.
City
Metamora
State
Country
Zip

Duck Creek Aqueduct is a rare surviving example of a covered timber aqueduct. It was one of several similar structures on the Whitewater Canal, which operated between the Whitewater Valley and the Ohio River from 1839 to 1865. After being displaced by the railroad, the canal supplied hydraulic power for the industrial districts at Metamora and Brookville.

The aqueduct was strengthened in 1868 and raised 18 inches in 1901. In 1946, the State of Indiana took control of a 14-mile section of the canal and rehabilitated the aqueduct to carry horse-drawn boats for tourists. Duck Creek Aqueduct (also, Whitewater Canal Aqueduct, or Metamora Aqueduct) was recorded by HABS in 1934 and by HAER in 2005.

It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 as part of the “Whitewater Canal Historic District,” and designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1992. The aqueduct was restored in 2005. It possesses a high degree of integrity and is proposed for National Historic Landmark consideration.

Thumb
Duck Creek Aqueduct Covered Bridge
Image Credit
Anthony Dillon

We hope you enjoyed this essay.

Please support America's only magazine of the history of engineering and innovation, and the volunteers that sustain it with a donation to Invention & Technology.

Donate

Stay informed - subscribe to our newsletter.
The subscriber's email address.