The Mt. Lawn Speedway Bridge, Mt Lawn, Indiana

As you pull into the Mt. Lawn Speedway just 6 miles west of downtown New Castle, Indiana you’ll cross Duck Creek by way of a steel Pony Truss Bridge. I did quite a bit of research on this span contacting everyone I could think of that might know the history of the structure.

I thought it might be a former county bridge that was moved to Mt. Lawn after it had been deemed “structurally deficient”. However the Henry County Engineer Joseph Copeland tells me the the steel truss bridge that was on 400 West near the Mt. Lawn Speedway was removed and stored at the Henry County Highway Department for a number of years before it was sold to the owner of the Memorial Park Golf Course in 2021 who planned to put it on the golf course.

I then spoke with Mt. Lawn Speedway owner Rick Sweigart who told me that as far as he knew, his father helped build this bridge new in the 1930s and doesn’t have any information that it was in service anyplace else.

The bridge is a 5 panel, pinned Pratt pony truss and about 40 feet long. Apparently it has served the Mt. Lawn Speedway since the mid 1930s and after 87 years of service, it’s still in great shape.

To learn more about the Mt. Lawn Speedway and the Ghost Town of Mt. Lawn, click on the link at the end of this video.

GPS Location: 39º54’36.3”N 85º27’42.7”W