I'm a sucker for local history, so I constantly thank my lucky stars that Illinois is full of incredible historical landmarks and historic sites. Many of our small towns do a fantastic job of preserving, restoring, and maintaining these places so the public can still enjoy and learn from them. So I was especially saddened when I learned that just recently the antique red-covered bridge in Princeton, Illinois was the victim of a truck crash, putting the historic landmark's future in peril.
One of the last covered bridges in Illinois was hit by a semi-truck on Thanksgiving morning — destroying the beloved historical landmark. The red covered bridge in Princeton was built around 1863 and was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1975.
"The emotions we've all experienced at the sight of the old bridge in such a state of disrepair proves that historic buildings and landmarks are crucial to a community — they carry the imprint of the people who built it and the lives lived around it," the Bureau County Historical Society and History Center wrote on its Facebook page. "They tell us a bit of who we are and where we've been. This bridge is a memory keeper, preserving all the special moments we've spent in its shadow, and it is a landmark calling us home again."
An astonishing "160 years have passed since this bridge was first built, and a lot has happened here," the group added. "Picnics, homecoming photos, marriage proposals, and simple Sunday drives when the leaves have turned or when the creek flows fast beneath it in spring, all have drawn us to this bridge."
The bridge was one of only five covered bridges that could still withstand vehicles driving on them. However, that all came to an end around 7:30 a.m. Nov. 23 when a semi-truck from Alabama crashed into it, causing severe damage throughout, WQAD 8 News reported.
A front-facing sign notifying drivers of its 11-foot height was seen fallen and flipped around.
From above, more carnage could be seen on the bridge's approximately 150-foot roof.
It's still unclear what the fate of the bridge will be — whether there will be a way to restore it, or ultimately tear it down completely. Prior to the crash, it was a historic rite of passage to drive through, as shown here.
In the meantime, those who have admired it mourn its injuries on social media — still are still hopeful it can be brought back to life.
"Rebuild her, put up protection so it doesn’t happen again (should have been done when the last truck hit) and leave her for the next generations to enjoy," one social media user wrote on the historical society's page.
Video captured by a local news station shows the full breadth of the architectural devastation.
Do you have any memories of the red-covered bridge in Princeton, Illinois? Share them with us! Stay up-to-date with the bridge's fate by following the Bureau County Historical Society and History Center on Facebook.
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