METAMORA, Ind. – The U.S. Interior Department and National Park Service has named Metamora’s Duck Creek Aqueduct a new national historic landmark.
The Interior Department calls the bridge a “rare surviving component of an American canal system that was a significant mode of transportation in the first half of the 19th century.”
Constructed in 1846, the Duck Creek Aqueduct is the only surviving historic covered wooden aqueduct in the nation.
The canal contributed to the economic growth of the Whitewater River Valley as travel was challenging before its construction, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The aqueduct was built to carry the Whitewater Canal 16 feet above Duck Creek with a span of 70 feet.
Duck Creek Aqueduct is part of the Whitewater Canal Historic District which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The aqueduct was also named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1992.
The historic Metamora bridge is among nine new additions to historic landmarks Tuesday. It joins 2,544 other sites across the country recognized as places that illustrates the heritage of the United States.
“These nine sites add to a nationwide network of unique, historic places that represent the complex journey that we have taken as a nation,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell.
“By designating these new national landmarks we ensure that America’s history of innovation, vision and diversity are celebrated today and for future generations.”
“From artists and architecture, to the accomplishments of explorers and entrepreneurs, these sites highlight the mosaic of our nation’s historic past,” Jarvis said. “These new national historic landmarks can educate and inspire Americans with their country’s rich history, as well as drive tourism and boost local economies.”
