Historical Images of Porter County

Overhead Bridge, Near College Campus
Valparaiso, Indiana

Date: Circa 1903
Source Type: Souvenir Book
Publisher, Printer, Photographer: Hobart & Kennedy
Postmark: Not Applicable
Collection: Steven R. Shook
Remark: Built in the late 1880s, the student foot bridge over the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks, which was located adjacent to the Valparaiso University campus, was commonly referred to as "Lover's Repose." The foot bridge was common location for students to socialize; it also provided access to Sager's Lake on the opposite side of the tracks from the university. If a train happened to pass under the foot bridge while a young couple was crossing, then the couple was supposed to kiss until the train had passed. The bridge was condemned by the Valparaiso Board of Works and Public Safety on June 9, 1967, and dismantled later that year. The foot bridge was condemned because parts of the wooden structure were found to be decaying and unsafe. The steel portion of the bridge was purchased and removed by Bill Wellman and placed near Wellman's Restaurant on US Highway 30. On October 8, 2005, the original steel portion of the foot bridge was relocated back onto the Valparaiso University campus, led by the Valparaiso Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. This view in this image is looking northeast. Note that this image of the bridge shows the Pennsylvania Railroad's track prior to being double tracked.

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Image and related text prepared by Steven R. Shook