As Lingle Road (Old SR 67) crosses from Morgan County into Owen County, it gets rough.

Old SR 67 (Lingle Rd)

This hasn’t been SR 67 since 1939. Period maps from the Indiana Highway Commission show that this alignment might have been improved from gravel to oiled gravel in 1931 or 1932. The 1933 map shows this alignment to have been further improved with a “”bituminous mulch top, surface-treated water-bound macadam, [or] road oil mat” surface. The 1938 map shows the road still on this alignment, but the 1939 map shows the road on its current alignment.

This road becomes mighty pretty as it passes through a wooded area. But by this time, it had reverted entirely to gravel.

Old SR 67 (Lingle Rd)

A road and its environment can change an awful lot in 90 years, especially when it falls under county maintenance and is lightly used. Check out this article I wrote, in which I show a photo of a bridge on US 40 from 1928, a few years after the bridge was built, compared to my own photos of that bridge on what is now a local road made in 2009. It’s hard to tell this is the same place.

After the road passes through the woods, it shortly crosses this pony truss bridge over Indian Creek.

Indian Creek Bridge

Here’s a northbound view of the bridge and the gravel road leading to it.

Indian Creek Bridge

This bridge is standard Indiana highway stuff of the period when this road was the highway.

Indian Creek Bridge

From here, Lingle Road continues to cross current SR 67 and continue on the other side. The road runs straight west until it reaches a T intersection, at which point it heads straight south, crossing SR 67 again on its way into Gosport.

After the road crosses current SR 67 the first time, the road becomes paved in asphalt and passes between two sides of the Gosport Cemetery.

Gosport Cemetery

Little pony truss bridges and bisected cemeteries are part of the joy of exploring the old road alignments. The locals all know these things are here and probably find them to be unremarkable. But I’m newly discovering them.

I like old cemeteries, so we stopped and lingered to make some photographs.

Gosport Cemetery
Gosport Cemetery
Gosport Cemetery

SR 67 enters Gosport on its west side along 7th Street, missing the heart of its downtown. Here’s a photo from 4th Street westbound along Main Street.

Gosport

The original alignment of SR 67 is permanently closed a few miles from here, so we detoured along current SR 67 until it met the original alignment.

Next: A classic drive-in theater on State Road 67.

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Comments

11 responses to “Indiana State Road 67: The southbound road to Gosport”

  1. Jane Herr Avatar
    Jane Herr

    I love cemeteries! Many thanks for these pix.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Me too. Strange, because I wouldn’t be buried in one!

  2. Christopher May Avatar
    Christopher May

    Between the pony truss bridge with that gorgeous farm in the background and the road through the cemetery. This has to be one of the best little sections of road I’ve seen in quite awhile. I really, really want to bring out my large format camera for the bridge and barn. Now I just need to find the time to make the trip from Chicago!

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Oh man, a large-format photo of that location! That sounds amazing. It’s probably 4 hours away from you — a one-day trip.

    2. Jim Grey Avatar

      Test comment

  3. Darts and Letters Avatar
    Darts and Letters

    That’s pretty neat how that old farmhouse is right by the pony truss bridge. It’s kind of like having your own bridge! They’re pretty high, so whatever’s contained in those banks, if it ever floods they don’t have to worry about that too much, it would seem.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Which is probably why they built up there!

  4. -Nate Avatar
    -Nate

    Very pretty ~ I’,m sure the local Motocyclists use this short stretch on their fun runs and/or breakfast outings .

    The town of Gosport is nice looking too, vintage buildings in good nick, don’t look abandoned .

    -Nate

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Yes, Gosport is in good condition. It was very nice to see.

  5. Warren W Jenkins Avatar
    Warren W Jenkins

    Appears via historic aerials that there was an interesting overpass over RR tracks just east of the crossing with current 67. Bridge looks to have been replaced in 2014.
    Right under the bridge was a crossing between the famous MONON RR, and the Pennsylvania RR, which was pretty busy until the 1970s.
    On the old Bridgehunters site, there used to be a great story about a bridge on Gosport’s east side that burned and collapsed in 1955, killing a Gosport Volunteer firefighter. That bridge was never replaced.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      My goodness, but do I miss Bridgehunter.

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