A Historic Road Less Traveled

A Historic Road Less Traveled. . , Who would think that a country road would hold so much history? Old State Highway 56 takes you past the historic Speakman-Tallentire house and to a famous bridge. , , Elderly Stephen S. Speakman was in love with a young Kentucky belle who agreed to marry him if he built her a magnificent house. With the help of slave labor borrowed from his bride's Kentucky home, the elegant Greek Revival-style Speakman-Tallentire house was completed in 1845. It sits on a rise near the Laughery Creek. Although now overgrown, it once had a view of the Creek, and across the Ohio River to Kentucky. Bricks used to build it were made right on the premises. The home is now a private residence, not open to the public, and should be viewed from the roadside. , , Travel past the Speakman-Tallentire House and see the three-span, 302 foot "Triple Whipple Bridge," built in 1878 that joins Ohio and Dearborn Counties. It is the only remaining bridge of its type in the country, and is named for the nineteenth century bridge designer Squire Whipple, who designed a special system of supports. The bridge's historic significance earned it a place in the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge is presently closed to vehicular traffic but has been rehabilitated for pedestrian use. , , Visitors are encouraged to visit a neighboring Ohio River Scenic site just to the north of here at Riverview Cemetery. , , By the Way: Indiana has more than 6,000 bridges, many of them considered historic treasures.