In 1895, at the request of the Hancock County Commissioners, a one-lane, pre-engineered Pratt through-truss bridge made of wrought iron was fabricated, shipped by rail and wagon, and erected by the Canton Bridge Company of Ohio to connect the fertile farmland south of the Blanchard River to northern markets. The historic bridge originally stood where the covered bridge stands today, but age and heavier loads crossing the river made replacement necessary. In 2009, the historic bridge was relocated to Riverbend Recreation Area and replaced with a two-lane, single-span timber covered bridge with a metal roof, constructed by Zachrich Construction Company of Defiance, Ohio. Separated by 114 years of history, the two bridges share a common purpose and sense of place, as the older bridge now showcases the lost art of wrought-iron bridge craftsmanship while the covered bridge evokes a romantic appeal and simpler times along the Blanchard River.