Bigelow Bridge

Bigelow Bridge (regionally known as Axe Handle Road Bridge) is one of six historic covered bridges in Union County, Ohio. It is located at 40°06′58″N 83°25′30″W,^[1] on Axe Handle Road just north of Ohio State Route 161 between Irwin and Chuckery, and crosses over the Little Darby Creek.

Bigelow Bridge
Bigelow Bridge in 2009
Coordinates	40°06′58″N 83°25′30″W
Carries	Motor vehicles, pedestrians
Crosses	Little Darby Creek
Locale	Union County, Ohio, United States
Other name(s)	Axe Handle Road Bridge
Maintained by	Union County Engineer
Characteristics
Design	Covered
Total length	100 feet (30 m)
Width	12.5 feet (3.8 m)
Height	12.5 feet (3.8 m)
History
Designer	Reuben Partridge
Opened	1873 (1873)
Statistics
Daily traffic	100 (as of 1951)
Location

The wooden truss bridge was built in 1873 by Reuben Partridge, and named for Eliphas Bigelow, a nearby resident.^[2] It was refurbished including the addition of internal steel supports in 1990, and repainted in July 2008.^[3]

In November 2010, a historical marker was dedicated on the site by the Ohio Historical Society, honoring Bigelow Bridge and the surrounding Darby Plains region.^[4]