Dooley Station Covered Bridge

Dooley Station Covered Bridge
Dooley Station Covered Bridge
Coordinates	39°51′38.67″N87°5′19.66″W / 39.8607417°N 87.0887944°W Coordinates: 39°51′38.67″N87°5′19.66″W / 39.8607417°N 87.0887944°W
Carries	C.R. E650N
Crosses	Little Raccoon Creek
Locale	Parke, Indiana, United States
Official name	Dooley Station Covered Bridge
Named for	The Dooley Family
WGCB Number	14-61-22
Characteristics
Total length	95 ft (29 m)73ft +11ft overhangs on each end
Width	16 ft (4.9 m) [1]
History
Constructed by	W.C. Carty
Built	1917
	Dooley Station Covered Bridge Location of the Dooley Station Covered Bridge in Indiana

Last updated October 03, 2019

The Dooley Station Covered Bridge was east of Dooley Station, Indiana. The Burr arch truss style single span covered bridge crossed Little Raccoon Creek and was built by W.C. Carty in 1917 and destroyed by arson in 1960.^[1]

A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered wooden bridges typically have a lifespan of only 20 years because of the effects of rain and sun, but a covered bridge could last 100 years.

Arson is the crime of willfully and maliciously setting fire to or charring property. Though the act typically involves buildings, the term arson can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercraft, or forests. The crime is typically classified as a felony, with instances involving a greater degree of risk to human life or property carrying a stricter penalty. A common motive for arson is to commit insurance fraud. In such cases, a person destroys their own property by burning it and then lies about the cause in order to collect against their insurance policy.

History

Destruction

On December 4, 1960 around 9:30 at night, Sam Link and Joe Long discovered the Dooley Station Covered Bridge on fire. They also noted a car fleeing the area with its lights turned off. Running to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Dooley they phoned the Waveland and Bellmore fire departments and the Parke County Sheriff. The same night as the fire it was reported that heavy equipment, parked nearby being used in the construction of its replacement, was moved onto the Thorpe Ford Covered Bridge in an attempt to overload it.

The Thorpe Ford Covered Bridge is northeast of Rosedale, Indiana. The single span Burr Arch Truss covered bridge structure was built by Joseph A. Britton in 1912.

Six young men, David Bousman, 17, Rockville; James Wheatfill, 21, Judson; Donald Fisher, 17, R.R.3, Rockville; Lance Peffley, 19, R.R.4, Rockville; Daniel Furr, 20, Rockville; and Billy Norton, 18, Judson, were eventually arrested and held in the Parke County Jail for suspicion of starting the fire. The next Tuesday they were arraigned before Judge Clarence J. Powel who continued the case until Saturday December 17 setting bond at $2,000. The suspects reported that they drove to the bridge and sprinkled kerosene on it before setting it on fire. They gave no reason for setting the fire. Peffley, Bousman, and Wheatfill were ordered to pay $25/week for 50 weeks to the Parke County clerk, Norton had to pay $25/week for 46 weeks, and Furr and Fisher had to pay $25/week for 42 weeks. They were also all sentenced to 12 months in jail, but the judge suspended the sentences down to two-day weekend terms, Friday 6pm to Sunday 6pm which was 104 days in jail and an 8pm curfew every evening. They were permitted to drive their cars only to and from work and were forbidden to drink intoxicating beverages. The Parke County commissioners also consented to give any of the young men jobs with the Parke County Highway Department at $1.35/hour to help pay their fines. Bousman, Wheatfill, and Fisher took the county highway jobs.^[2]^[3]

Replacement

In January 1961 the Portland Mills Covered Bridge was moved to the Dooley Station Covered Bridge's location to replace it. The Portland Mills Covered Bridge needed moved because the location it was at was going to be flooded with the creation of Lake Mansfield.

The Portland Mills Covered Bridge is the second oldest covered bridge in Parke County, Indiana, being built the same year as the Crooks Covered Bridge. It is a single span Burr Arch Truss covered bridge that was built by Henry Wolf in 1856.

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References

1 2 "Dooley Station Covered Bridge". Covered Bridges. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
↑ "Dooley Station Covered Bridge". Indiana Covered Bridges. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
↑ "Youths Sentenced to 52 Weekends In Jail for Parke Bridge Burning". The Terre Haute Star. Terre Haute, Indiana. 12 January 1961. Retrieved 7 March 2015.

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[parke-1] 1 2 "Dooley Station Covered Bridge". Covered Bridges. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.

[2] "Dooley Station Covered Bridge". Indiana Covered Bridges. Retrieved 12 February 2015.

[3] "Youths Sentenced to 52 Weekends In Jail for Parke Bridge Burning". The Terre Haute Star. Terre Haute, Indiana. 12 January 1961. Retrieved 7 March 2015.