johnu11 Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 I just joined this Forum and I am snooping. I see a lot of you are exploring Indiana, which is fairly nice. I also live there. I am posting a picture of a bridge over the Whitewater River in the nondescript town of Cedar Grove, in southern Franklin County. Now you cannot cross this bridge and it should be obvious why. The bridge is actually the route across the river from what used to be S.R. 1 from Cedar Grove (U.S. 52) and southward toward Lawrenceburg. It took you up Southgate Hill, and brother ... that was a white-knuckler. No truck ever made it down or up due to the hairpin at the base of the hill. The road was rerouted years ago and bypassed the little town of St. Leon and it joins SR 46 near the little town of Lawrenceville. Methinks this bridge still stands for historic reasons and may have once been part of a project that since ran out of money. Hell, I would not want to walk across this thing ... and to think that we used to drive over it often without even (urp) thinking. I did have a moment on Southgate Hill though, when I was 19. There were no guardrails, FWIW. I decided to hit the hillside instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnu11 Posted November 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 Well, I loaded the picture. I just enjoy technology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnu11 Posted November 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 Well, I loaded the picture. I just enjoy technology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 I just joined this Forum and I am snooping. I see a lot of you are exploring Indiana, which is fairly nice. I also live there. I am posting a picture of a bridge over the Whitewater River in the nondescript town of Cedar Grove, in southern Franklin County. Now you cannot cross this bridge and it should be obvious why. The bridge is actually the route across the river from what used to be S.R. 1 from Cedar Grove (U.S. 52) and southward toward Lawrenceburg. It took you up Southgate Hill, and brother ... that was a white-knuckler. No truck ever made it down or up due to the hairpin at the base of the hill. The road was rerouted years ago and bypassed the little town of St. Leon and it joins SR 46 near the little town of Lawrenceville. Methinks this bridge still stands for historic reasons and may have once been part of a project that since ran out of money. Hell, I would not want to walk across this thing ... and to think that we used to drive over it often without even (urp) thinking. I did have a moment on Southgate Hill though, when I was 19. There were no guardrails, FWIW. I decided to hit the hillside instead. John, First I want to welcome you to the forum…..WELCOME. You are correct, Indiana is well represented here, and so are some nearby states. Someone would do me a favor if they could explain the reason why we get so many from Indiana, and there about. Do they teach “roadology” in the schools? What’s up with all the Hoosiers? Oh, interesting bridge, BTW! Dave Keep the Show on the Road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnu11 Posted November 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 Hoosiers are from well, the Crossroads of America. It's also a place where if you want to get someplace, you gotta go someplace else first. As for the SR 1 bridge, that's a relic that defies description. The picture spins its own yarns. If you take SR229 at Batesville (Ripley Co.) from I-74 north, you go to a little village named Oldenburg, well worth the trip. Then if you head north, you go through Peppertown (not well worth it except for the peculiar little Lutheran church there that's about 1,000 years old) ... but what gets to be fun is the highway itself. We are talking a roller coaster ... dip after dip ... and if you learn to time your speed, it can be a gastronomical extravaganza! Sooner or later, you have to decide if you want to go to Laurel on SR 121 ... back in there you can find some excitement. I leave you with my own slice of Indiana history. www.fairfieldindiana.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Hi John, I looked up the bridge on Google Maps and tried to trace Old SR 1 south from there. What a route that must have been! see Old SR 1 in two segments, bisected by current SR 1. Google sent its photo car down the hairpin curve so I followed it in street view. I've got to drive this one someday! jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnu11 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Actually, you can't take the route as it was back when I was a teenager. You can go out to the old bridge, turn back, and go around and see it from the other side. But if you try to track the old SR 1 up Southgate Hill, you will be confounded. It's not accessible now that I can tell. I've tried to find it. It can be seen from below, the hillside, that is, and I assume a road is still "up there." But ... but you can go up a steep hill to an area we refer to laughingly as Gobbler's Knob. I do NOT know why, OK? Apparently my grandfather has a connection to the naming of that area as he was the county surveyor way back in the 1930s and 40s and named many of the roads. That was before the 911 addresses that are like 112432 East County Road W. The road up to Gobblers Knob is a county road and is pretty narrow, not nearly as deadly as Southgate Hill ever was. I use the term "deadly" in a very serious fashion. The old highway was very very very dangerous. But if you are edgy about going up high hills with steep dropoffs, Gobblers Knob will work nicely for you. If you are hankering to see that part of Indiana, naturally it's hilly which lends itself to some pretty awesome fall color. If you go back north toward Brookville, you get to see the lake, which covers the town where I grew up. Another tale. My Website explores that. I add that link, and BTW, it's NOT a commercial site so there's no advertising connected to the story. http://www.fairfieldindiana.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennyG Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Welcome! To the best of my knowledge, I've never gone over that bridge but I may have gone under it -- in a canoe -- in the early 1970s. I do now and then travel US-52 through the area and will have to turn off for a peek next time. Nice job gathering memories with the Fairfield site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnu11 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 If you canoe, you've obviously done Metamora. Lots of history out that way, but it's essentially overrated because of commercial investment. Another story, just interesting and I won't burden the board with more. All the same, canoeing the Whitewater was always considered a thrill for enthusiasts. I never did it. The old east fork that went through Fairfield was dammed up before that sport caught on in the valley. I should think the river is much cleaner now than before. New Trenton, BTW, is one of the oldest settlements in the territory. We are talking around the year 1800. In researching Fairfield, I learned a lot about that history. Again, a different story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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