Van Wert in Van Wert County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Hoghe Road Bridge

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 5, 2008

1. Hoghe Road Bridge Marker

Inscription. Built in 1894 at a cost of $575, this bridge spanned Town Creek at Hoghe Road (Township Road 82) for 100 years. The Van Wert County Commissioners approved the bridge's construction in response to requests from the Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw Railroad Company. The span is an example of the truss-leg bedstead design. It was intended to handle heavy loads traveling to and from area railroad tracks, which were less than a mile from the bridge's original location. The bridge was removed from Hoghe Road in 1994. The Van Wert County Engineer's Department rehabilitated the bridge and, with the permission of the Van Wert County Agricultural Society, relocated it to the county fairgrounds in 1997.

Erected 1998 by Van Wert County Engineer and Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 1-81.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1894.

Location. 40° 51.236′ N, 84° 35.048′ W. Marker is in Van Wert, Ohio, in Van Wert County. It is on 1055 South Washington Street (U.S. 127) north of Fox Road

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, on the left when traveling north. Marker is in the Van Wert County Fairgrounds, about 100 yards south of South Washington Street entrance near fenceline. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1055 South Washington Street, Van Wert OH 45891, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Till Plains.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Hiestand Woods Park And Preserve Est. 1945 (approx. 0.6 miles away); Original Fourth Ward School Bell (approx. 0.9 miles away); Original plaque from Franklin Elementary School (approx. 0.9 miles away); These carriage steps (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Historic Lincoln Highway (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Brumback Library (approx. 1.1 miles away); First County Library in the United States (approx. 1.1 miles away); Van Wert County Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Van Wert.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Wayne's Strategy (was approx. 1.1 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Hoghe Road Bridge and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 5, 2008

2. Hoghe Road Bridge and Marker

Photographed by Craig Doda, January 22, 2022

3. Hoghe Road Bridge Marker

Van Wert County Commissioners in 1894 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 5, 2008

4. Van Wert County Commissioners in 1894

Hoghe Road Bridge Builder image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 5, 2008

5. Hoghe Road Bridge Builder

Credits. This page was last revised on September 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 7, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,612 times since then and 19 times this year. Last updated on September 2, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 7, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 3. submitted on January 24, 2022, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. 4, 5. submitted on October 7, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.