Duck Creek Aqueduct (Metamora, Indiana)

 aqueduct, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, covered bridge, 1840s construction, U.S. National Historic Landmark

Canals in Indiana were constructed within river valleys the levelest land available. The canal would be parallel to the river; wherever a tributary stream entered the river; it was necessary to have a structure to carry the canal over the stream. These aqueducts were vulnerable to flooding by the streams and were a continual problem.

Duck Creek Aqueduct is the only aqueduct that remains of over 100 that once existed in the U.S. The poplar trusses rest on limestone abutments, the siding is also poplar and the roof would originally have been shingled. The aqueduct was built in 1843, destroyed by flood and rebuilt in 1847. The floor now has a metal sheathing over the planked bed. The two openings on each side release water into Duck Creek and help control the water level of the canal.