December 31, 1932
A railroad bridge crossing the Ohio River between the city of Henderson, Kentucky, and Vanderburgh County, Indiana, was formally opened. This 12,123-foot (3,695)-long structure was constructed by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) to replace the bridge that this company had built in the vicinity during the 1880s. That original bridge, which was located downstream from its successor, officially went into service on July 13, 1885. Construction on the current bridge by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Steel Company began in May 1931.
The New Year’s Eve inauguration of the new bridge took place at 2:46 p.m. with the crossing of a southbound train and just a little over an hour after the final rivet had been driven. The celebration continued that Saturday night with a banquet at the Soaper Hotel in downtown Henderson.
The speakers at this banquet included James J. Donohue, an attorney representing L&N. He said, “We have here and now dedicated the new bridge to our service and to the service of our patrons everywhere, and through the years long after you and I have passed on, wherever the L.& N. is known, it will be called the ‘Henderson bridge.’ Any other name would be a misnomer.”
F.J. Pentecost, an attorney there in Henderson, officially accepted the bridge on behalf of the community. He also used the occasion to pay tribute to W.H. Courtenay, the chief engineer for the construction of the bridge. “’Tis saying but little when I say that that the fame of Mr. Courtenay will last as long as that great structure spans the Ohio river,” proclaimed Pentecost.
The Henderson Bridge is now owned by CSX Transportation. This bridge remains a pivotal link, with more than 40 freight trains traveling across it on a daily basis. (The accompanying photo of the Henderson Bridge was taken in 2012.)
Photo Credit: Public Domain
For more information on the Henderson Bridge and its predecessor, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henderson_Bridge_(Ohio_River)
Transportation History 
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