History Knox
BRINKHAVEN — In addition to having gone through numerous name changes over the years, the eastern Knox County village of Brinkhaven has seen a lot of re-engineering of its roads and bridges.
The one seen in this vintage postcard image from the early 20th century carried Ohio 62 across the Mohican River into the village. It was a single-lane structure that served as the main viaduct into Brinkhaven in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The 1930s railroad bridge has been converted to a wooden covered bridge, and is a popular attraction on the Mohican Valley Trail, which follows the route of the original railroad. (Photo by Mark Jordan.)
At that time, as far as I can figure, the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus Railroad ran in the position that Ohio 62 is currently in, going under the long-gone trestle for the Wally Railroad (the popular name for the Walhonding Railroad), which crossed north-south through town.
I believe that trestle came down in the 1913 flood, which started long-term planning for flood control, which eventually resulted in construction of the Mohawk Dam in 1937.
The dam project increased the likelihood of flooding in the valley around Brinkhaven, so the CA&C Railroad was moved up to higher ground. The new, high railroad bridge served in that function for many years, but later became part of the Mohican Valley Trail after the rails were abandoned.
The railroad bridge was clad in wood and became the Bridge of Dreams covered bridge.
At some point after that, Ohio 62 was rerouted over a new bridge in the same location of the old CA&C railroad bridge over the Mohican, thus effectively bypassing Brinkhaven.
Judging by old maps, the route used to originally extend on what is now State Street, east of Brinkhaven, but the re-engineered highway cut a little south to smooth the curve.
The original Ohio 62 bridge still stands, though the postcard picture suggests it has over 100 years under its belt.
This vintage view of Brinkhaven has been marked with the location of the roads and railroads. (Submitted image.)
The old bridge is the northernmost of Brinkhaven’s three bridges. The current Ohio 62 bridge is where the CA&C Railroad used to run, and the Bridge of Dreams on the Mohican Valley Trail incorporates the 1930s railroad bridge built to replace the lower one. (Image source: Google Earth, with the author’s additions.)
The orange line traces the original path of Ohio 62 through Brinkhaven. The green line is the original route of the CA&C Railroad, now partially taken over by the current route of Ohio 62. The blue line shows where the Walhonding Railroad ran through town. (Image source: Google Earth, with the author’s additions.)