Stearns bridge to be dedicated
Comet staff report

The Stearns truss bridge in Delphi will be dedicated at 2 p.m. this Sunday, celebrating the completion of two years of volunteer work on the wrought iron structure.

The project started Dec. 16, 2005, at a Pulaski County Commissioners' meeting in Winamac. Four Carroll County Canal Association volunteers were present. An offer from the volunteers to purchase the 78-foot long relic for $10 was met with a stipulation that it must be removed from the Big Monon Ditch near Medaryville in just three months. Otherwise, the abandoned bridge would be demolished.

That winter the weather was cooperative and the volunteers rallied to disassemble and transport all the pieces to Delphi by March 3.

The bridge is a lightweight, portable, wrought iron span, built in 1905. It was designed by William Stearns and is the last known of its type to exist in the United States.

Repaired, reassembled, and painted blue, the bridge now spans the canal in west Delphi, behind Pizza Hut and Dairy Queen. It sits over a reconstructed section of the Wabash & Erie Canal.

The last task being completed is the handrail. The bridge sports another color as well as the blue. All iron that was added for safety, but not part of the original, is painted black. This comprises the safety siderail which is made of angle iron with a similar look as the integrated original handrail.

Dan McCain, Canal Board president, said if weather permits, a 1903 Winton car (same era as the bridge) may be on hand at the dedication. Also expected at the dedication are people from Pulaski County who have had an interest in the bridge being saved and restored.

With parking near the bridge a premium on dedication day, attendees can park downtown Delphi around the Courthouse and be chauffeured to the bridge by Brian Stirm in the popular Delphi Trolley. The trolley will also travel to Canal Park and the whole circuit every 20 minutes. The trolley will run from noon to 4 p.m.

Those who come to the dedication can visit with the volunteers who have rallied to the restoration project. McCain said nearly a dozen of the 76 volunteers listed on the program have been as regular as "clockwork" and have kept the pace throughout the last seven seasons with their Monday-Wednesday Friday workdays.

"Without this dedication and the personal donations and grant support for supplies and materials, this would not have happened," McCain said. "Thank the volunteers when you meet them in the reception line on the bridge."

A few volunteers will be present at the bridge on Saturday to greet people who ride the trolley from downtown to look at the bridge before the Sunday dedication. The trolley will run from noon to 4 p.m.

A downtown event on Saturday will be the open house celebrating the completion of the façade restoration on the Opera House building. The open house will be from noon to 4 p.m., with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 2 p.m.

Another attraction in downtown Delphi on Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be the Discover Delphi holiday open houses.