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Indiana Bridge Company records

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MSS-092

Scope and Contents

This collection includes publications, newspaper clippings, and ledgers from the Indiana Bridge Company in Muncie, Indiana ranging from 1903 to 1981 regarding the business and the steel industry.

Dates

  • Creation: 1903-1981

Language of Materials

Materials entirely in English.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Archives and Special Collections.

Administrative History

The Indiana Bridge Company is Muncie, Indiana`s oldest manufacturer. When the Indiana Bridge Company was established by Theodore F. Rose and associates on May 17, 1886, the company built truss bridges not only for the needs of Indiana but nationwide. It later converted to making steel girders for the construction industry. On November 12, 1886 the company moved from Indianapolis to Muncie by train and on May 25, 1888 C.M. Kimbrough became president of the Indiana Bridge Company. He led the plant until his death in 1932. In 1904, the company upgraded by building new facilities at the present day site. During World War I, the Indiana Bridge Company participated in the mobilization for the war by producing steel for the United States and its allies. The company prospered after the war until the Great Depression hit in 1929. During the Great Depression J. Lloyd Kimbrough became president upon his father`s death and served the company until 1937. Upon J. Lloyd Kimbrough`s death his brother Frank H. Kimbrough was elected president of the company. Once again the Indiana Bridge Company helped mobilize for war from 1939 until 1945. When Frank H. Kimbrough died in 1946 his brother Hal C. Kimbrough decided to sell the company and on August 6, 1947 Taylor and Gaskin Inc. bought Indiana Bridge Company thus ending the long history of Kimbrough leadership.

The Indiana Bridge Company under the new management followed the ups and downs of the economy from 1947 to 1962 when the company had to close the doors; however, the closing was short-lived as local investors in Muncie put capital back into the business and reopened the doors in 1963. In 1971 the Indiana Bridge Company was bought by an Alabama firm and two years later bought by Debron. In 1978 Bristol Steel bought the Indiana Bridge Company from Debron, but fours years later due to economic hardships the plant was closed. In 1984 the Indiana Bridge Company reopened its doors. Indiana Bridge Company still operates in Muncie, Indiana.

Extent

2 Cubic Feet (4 boxes, 1 map-case drawer)

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in the following series:

Series 1: Indiana Bridge Company documents, 1903-1981

Series 2: Indiana Bridge Company oversized ledgers, 1920-1941

Series 3: Indiana Bridge Company oversized photographs, undated

Series 4: Indiana Bridge Company website archive, 2018-

Custodial History

This collection was received by Archives and Special Collections as a records transfer from the Drawings and Documents Archive on 1987/07/27.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Related Archival Materials

Materials relating to this collection may be found in the following collections in Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie IN:

P.024: Indiana Bridge Company photographs

POVB.009: Indiana Bridge Company oversize records

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 1994/04/25 by M. Sears. Collection processing revised 2004/04/22 by J. Mullins. EAD finding aid created 2010/12/20 by Bethany Fiechter. EAD finding aid revised 2010/12/20 by Bethany Fiechter.

Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Stoeckel Archives of Local History Repository

Contact:
Alexander M. Bracken Library
2000 W. University Avenue
Muncie Indiana 47306 USA