Delhi Bridge / Delhi Bridge

The Delhi Bridge was one of many Pratt through truss iron bridges built to order by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio, between 1876 and 1899 to span the Huron River. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Once common in Michigan, few bridges of this type survived into the twenty-first century. Built to serve the thriving agricultural village of Delhi Mills, it replaced earlier wooden foot and wagon bridges that crossed the river at a traditional ford. In the 1870s Delhi Mills was home to two flouring mills, a saw and woolen mill, a plaster mill, a train depot, a grocery store and a school. As electricity supplanted water power in the early twentieth century many mill towns fell into decline, including Delhi Mills. On June 6, 1917, a powerful tornado swept through Washtenaw County, severely damaging Delhi Mills and the Delhi Bridge. The Washtenaw County Red Cross was created that summer to aid the victims of the tornado. Torn from its abutments, the bridge was tossed into the river below. According to local tradition, Edward Outwater and Eli Gallup used a team of horses to salvage the bridge. The bridge reopened the following year. The bridge was closed between 2005 and 2009 and then rehabilitated in response to the efforts of the East Delhi Bridge Conservancy. The work maintained the bridge’s original one-lane design and retained its classic Pratt through truss plan, ensuring its continued viability and preserving its aesthetics.