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Historic Bridge Park, located a bit southeast of Battle Creek
in Calhoun County, Michigan, is a unique park which also functions as an open
air museum whose focus is on the historic
truss bridges that have been moved to and restored within the park. The park
allows metal truss bridges that have become insufficient for their original
location to be preserved for their historic and aesthetic value. There also is a
historic stone arch railroad overpass within the park. Historic Bridge Park is
the first of its kind in the entire United States. In addition to providing the
historic bridges for the enjoyment of visitors, Historic Bridge Park is a fully
functional park, with running water restroom facilities, picnic and playground areas, and paved trails for
the enjoyment of pedestrians, bicyclists, etc. The park is only five minutes from Firekeepers Casino.
Entry into the park is free of charge, and the park is open year-round from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
If you are new to the world of metal truss bridges, such as those featured at Historic Bridge Park, you might find viewing the Introduction to Historic Bridges presentation to be helpful.
The restoration of the metal truss bridges in the park was
directed by Vern Mesler
with the support of Dennis Randolph, former Managing Director of what was then called the Calhoun County Road Commission. They carried
out the restoration with an unprecedented attention paid to maintaining as much
of the the original bridge material as possible, and exactly replicating any
parts that required replacement. For example, during restoration, failed rivets
on the bridges were replaced with rivets, not modern high strength bolts. The bridges in Historic Bridge Park represent some of the best metal truss bridge restoration work to be found in the country.
After being closed for over a year due to an oil spill due to a broken Enbridge pipeline upstream from the park, Historic Bridge Park reopened on June 5, 2012, following cleanup. In an effort to give back to the community that it has damaged and inconvenienced so extensively, Enbridge also paid for improvements to Historic Bridge Park that included improved restroom facilities, parking lots, and a new playground. An improved stairway up to the Charlotte Highway Bridge is also present. Enbridge also provided an endowment to provide for the maintenance of these new park features. Today, visitors can enjoy a greatly improved Historic Bridge Park.
 20 Mile Road Bridge |
 133rd Avenue Bridge |
 Bauer Road Bridge |
 Gale Road Bridge |
 Charlotte Highway Bridge |
 Dixon's Bridge |
There are currently five metal truss bridges and a stone arch bridge for a total of six bridges at the park available for the public to view and experience. All bridges are open to non-motorized traffic only. All bridges in the park have their own Bridge Browser page on HistoricBridges.org, complete with historical information and numerous photos of the bridges. Click the links above to view the individual webpages for the bridges featured in the park.
In addition to housing the fascinating historic bridges, Historic Bridge Park
also has many amenities that visitors expect of a full-featured park. A boat launch is available to access
the Kalamazoo River, including a launch for canoes and kayaks. A picnic area with grills is available. There is also a playground. Running water restroom facilities have been installed in the park. The
North Country Trail passes
through the park. The paved path that connects the bridges in the park
is open to all non-motorized forms of traffic, such as walking, biking etc. A pavilion is present in the park and can be rented for special events.
Historic Bridge Park would be a great place to have a wedding, birthday, family reunion, or other special event! If you want to reserve the pavilion for a special event (fee applies) or have other questions related to holding a special event at the park, contact Tiffany Eichorst at the park at 269-781-9841, extension 241, or email teichorst -at- calhouncrc -dot- net
Driving on I-94 Westbound, take Exit 104 which is 11 Mile Road.
Turn left (south) from the off ramp to proceed south on 11 Mile Road. Drive
in 11 Mile Road for 3/4 mile, going straight past Michigan Avenue (I-94 BL /
M-96) and turn right
(west) onto F Drive North. Follow the road until it ends. Turn left (south) onto Wattles Road,
cross the railroad tracks and look and turn left (south) again at the
drive with the Historic Bridge Park sign.
Alternate Route from Westbound I-94: Driving on I-94 Westbound, take Exit 104 which is 11 Mile Road. Turn left (south) from the off ramp to proceed south on 11 Mile Road. Cross the I-94 overpass and turn right at the stoplight intersection onto Michigan Avenue (I-94 BL / M-96). Follow Michigan Avenue to Wattles Road (a stoplight intersection) and turn left. Follow Wattles Road, cross the railroad tracks and turn left at the drive with the Historic Bridge Park sign.
Driving on Eastbound I-94, take Exit 100 which is Beadle Lake Road. Turn right (south) onto Beadle Lake Road and then take an immediate left (east) onto E Drive North. Follow E Drive North until it ends at 9 Mile Road (Wattles Road) and then turn left (north). Drive under I-94 and over the Kalamazoo River and then turn right (south) onto the drive with the the Historic Bridge Park sign.
Click the below thumbnail to load a road map showing the location of the park.
Click the below thumbnail to load a map that shows the location of park features, as well as the location and names of all historic bridges in the park.
HistoricBridges.org has prepared a guide that can be printed out and taken on a visit to Historic Bridge Park. It includes brief information about each bridge in the park, as well as a map of the park area and directions to get there.
View the Historic Bridge Park Visitor's Guide
Download a Printable PDF of the Entire Guide
Download a Printable PDF of the Bridge Descriptions Only
For several years, from roughly Thanksgiving through New Years, the bridge park had an an attractive light display where the truss bridges had lights strung on their members and chords to create a fun and interesting experience. Unfortunately, loss of funding has led to this event becoming a thing of the past. However a photo gallery of the truss bridges with lights on them is available here.
Below is the official Calhoun County page for Historic Bridge Park as well as the official page for Vern Mesler's historic bridge related work including the restoration of the bridges in the park.
Official Historic Bridge Park Website
Calhoun County Road Department
