List of covered bridges in Indiana

Last updated October 16, 2024

This is a list of Indiana covered bridges. There are 98 historic wooden covered bridges in the U.S. state of Indiana. Fourteen of these were built before 1870 and represent the most common truss styles (Burr Arch) in Indiana.

Parke County bills itself as the covered bridge capital of the world.^[1] Combined with six counties that surround it, there are 51 of Indiana’s 98 covered bridges in this small area: Parke County (32), Putnam County (9), Fountain County (3), Vermillion County (3), Montgomery County (2), Owen County (1) and Vigo County (1). The majority, 54, are Burr Arch truss designs, while the next most common truss style is a Howe truss with 23.

One each of the older style King Post and Queen Post are located in the western part of the state; Philips Bridge, west of Rockville in Parke County and Irishman Bridge, south of Terre Haute in Vigo County, respectively.^[2] Indiana also has examples of the Long Truss and the Smith Type IV Truss. The remaining span of the Bell Ford Bridge, northwest of Seymour in Jackson County, collapsed in January 2006. It was the last standing example of a Post Truss covered bridge in the world.

List of covered bridges

Extant

Name^[2]	Location ^[2]^[A]	Year built^[2]	Length	Crosses	Design	Historical notes
Adams Mill Bridge	Cutler, Carroll County	1872	138 feet (42 m)	Wildcat Creek	Howe truss
Baker's Camp Bridge	Bainbridge, Putnam County	1901	128 feet (39 m)	Big Walnut Creek	Burr Arch
Beanblossom Bridge	Beanblossom, Brown County	1880	60 feet (18 m)	Beanblossom Creek	Howe truss	Appears to actually be a Pratt Truss.
Beeson Bridge	Billie Creek Village, Rockville, Parke County	1906	55 feet (17 m)		Burr Arch
Big Rocky Fork Bridge	Mansfield, Parke County	1900	72 feet (22 m)	Big Rocky Fork Creek	Burr Arch
Billie Creek Bridge	Billie Creek Village, Rockville, Parke County	1895	62 feet (19 m)		Burr Arch	Moved to serve as the entrance to Billie Creek Village.
Bowsher Ford Bridge	Tangier, Parke County	1915	72 feet (22 m)	Mill Creek	Burr Arch
Bridgeton Bridge (new)	Bridgeton, Parke County	2006	245 feet (75 m)	Big Raccoon Creek	Burr Arch	Replaced original bridge that was destroyed by fire in 2005 with reconstruction completed in October 2006.
Busching Bridge	Versailles, Ripley County	1885	176 feet (54 m)	Laugher Creek	Howe truss	Located at Versailles State Park.
Cades Mill Bridge	Steam Corner, Fountain County	1854	150 feet (46 m)	Coal Creek	Howe truss	Oldest bridge in the state
Cataract Covered Bridge	Cataract, Owen County	1876	140 feet (43 m)	Mill Creek	Smith Type IV Truss
Catlin Bridge	Rockville, Parke County	1907	54 feet (16 m)	Bill Diddle Creek	Burr Arch
Cedar Ford Bridge^[3]	Bean Blossom, Monroe County	2019	127 feet (39 m)	Beanblossom Creek	Burr Arch
Ceylon Bridge	Ceylon, Adams County	1879	126 feet (38 m)	Wabash River	Howe truss
Conley’s Ford Bridge	Mansfield, Parke County	1907	192 feet (59 m)	Big Raccoon Creek	Burr Arch
Cornstalk Bridge	Raccoon, Putnam County	1917	82 feet (25 m)	Cornstalk Creek	Burr Arch
Cox Ford Bridge	Annapolis, Parke County	1913	176 feet (54 m)	Sugar Creek	Burr Arch	Located at the west side of Turkey Run State Park.
Crooks Bridge	Rockville, Parke County	1856	132 feet (40 m)	Little Raccoon Creek	Burr Arch	Second oldest bridge in the state
Crown Point Bridge	Crown Point, Lake County	1878	85 feet (26 m)	Gully	Burr Arch	Moved to Lake County Fairgrounds in 1933 from Milroy in Rush County over the Little Flatrock River.
Cumberland Bridge	Matthews, Grant County	1877	175 feet (53 m)	Mississinewa River	Howe truss
Darlington Bridge	Darlington, Montgomery County	1868	140 feet (43 m)	Sugar Creek	Howe truss	Fourth oldest covered bridge in the state and has a unique wooden block floor that spans its length as shown in the picture.
Deer's Mills Bridge	Deer's Mill, Montgomery County	1878	275 feet (84 m)	Sugar Creek	Burr Arch	Located in Shades State Park.
Dick Huffman Bridge	Reelsville, Putnam County	1880	265 feet (81 m)	Big Walnut River	Howe truss	Longest Howe Truss bridge in the state
Dunbar Bridge	Greencastle, Putnam County	1880	174 feet (53 m)	Big Walnut Creek	Burr Arch	Two spans
Edna Collins Bridge	Clinton Falls, Putnam County	1922	80 feet (24 m)	Little Walnut Creek	Burr Arch	Local legends claim this bridge is haunted.^[4]
Eugene Bridge	Eugene, Vermillion County	1885	192 feet (59 m)	Vermillion River	Burr Arch
Forsythe Mill Bridge	Gowdy, Rush County	1888	196 feet (60 m)	Big Flat Rock River	Burr Arch	Built by Emmett L. Kennedy
Guilford Bridge	Guilford, Dearborn County	1879	104 feet (32 m)		Burr Arch
Harry Evans Bridge	Coxville, Parke County	1908	65 feet (20 m)	Rock Run Creek	Burr Arch
Hillsdale Bridge	Dana, Vermillion County	1876	104 feet (32 m)		Burr Arch
Holton Bridge	Holton, Ripley County	1884	112 feet (34 m)	Otter Creek	Howe truss
Houck Bridge	Manhattan, Putnam County	1880^[5]	210 feet (64 m)	Big Walnut Creek	Howe truss	Located at 39°34′56″N86°56′22″W / 39.58222°N 86.93944°W / 39.58222; -86.93944 ,^[6] it is one of the longest Howe Truss bridges in the state.^[7] The status of its name is unofficial.^[8]
Huffman's Mill Bridge	Huffman, Spencer County	1884	140 feet (43 m)	Anderson River	Burr Arch
Irishman Bridge	Youngstown, Vigo County	ca. 1847	75 feet (23 m)	Fowler Lake, branch of Honey Creek	Queen Post	Second oldest and only remaining Queen Post covered bridge in the state
Jackson Bridge	Annapolis, Parke County	1861	207 feet (63 m)	Sugar Creek	Burr Arch	Fifth oldest and longest single span covered bridge in the state
James Bridge	Lovett, Jennings County	1887	124 feet (38 m)	Big Graham Creek	Howe truss
Jeffries Ford Bridge	Bridgeton, Parke County	1915	204 feet (62 m)	Big Raccoon Creek	Burr Arch
Lancaster Bridge	Owasco, Carroll County	1872	133 feet (41 m)	Wildcat Creek	Howe truss
Leatherwood Station Bridge	Billie Creek Village, Rockville, Parke County	1899	72 feet (22 m)		Burr Arch	Located at Billie Creek Village.
Longwood Bridge	Connersville, Fayette County	1884	92 feet (28 m)		Burr Arch
Mansfield Bridge	Mansfield, Parke County	1867	247 feet (75 m)	Big Raccoon Creek	Burr Arch	Three spans, central roof was torn off by winds in the spring of 2006 and restored in 2007.
Marshall Bridge	Tangier, Parke County	1917	56 feet (17 m)	Rush Creek	Burr Arch
McAllister Bridge	Catlin, Parke County	1914	126 feet (38 m)	Little Raccoon Creek	Burr Arch
Mecca Bridge	Mecca, Parke County	1873	150 feet (46 m)	Big Raccoon Creek	Burr Arch
Medora Bridge	Medora, Jackson County	1875	434 feet (132 m)	East Fork, White River	Burr Arch	Three spans, longest covered bridge in the state and, by clear span, is sometimes claimed to be the longest historic covered bridge in the U.S. Closed to all but pedestrian traffic since 1972, and is currently undergoing restoration.
Melcher Bridge	Montezuma, Parke County	1896	83 feet (25 m)	Leatherwood Creek	Burr Arch
Mill Creek Bridge	Tangier, Parke County	1907	92 feet (28 m)	Mill Creek	Burr Arch
Moscow Bridge	Moscow, Rush County	1886 (rebuilt 2010)	334 feet (102 m)	Big Flat Rock River	Burr Arch	Two spans, third longest covered bridge in the state; destroyed by a tornado in 2008, it has since been rebuilt.
Narrows Bridge	Marshall, Parke County	1882	121 feet (37 m)	Sugar Creek	Burr Arch	Located on the east boundary of Turkey Run State Park.
Neet Bridge	Catlin, Parke County	1904	126 feet (38 m)	Little Raccoon Creek	Burr Arch
Nevins Bridge	Catlin, Parke County	1920	155 feet (47 m)	Little Raccoon Creek	Burr Arch
New Brownsville Bridge	Columbus, Bartholomew County	1840	93 feet (28 m)	Mill Run Creek	Long Truss	Moved from Brownsville in Union County over the Whitewater River.
Newport Bridge	Newport, Vermillion County	1885	180 feet (55 m)	Little Vermillion River	Burr Arch
Norris Ford Bridge	Rushville, Rush County	1916	169 feet (52 m)	Big Flat Rock River	Burr Arch
North Manchester Bridge	North Manchester, Wabash County	1872	150 feet (46 m)	Eel River	Smith Type IV Truss
Oakalla Bridge	Greencastle, Putnam County	1875	152 feet (46 m)	Big Walnut Creek	Burr Arch
Old Red Bridge	Hickory Ridge, Gibson County	1875	170 feet (52 m)	Big Bayou Creek	Smith Type IV Truss
Pine Bluff Bridge	Carpentersville, Putnam County	1915	211 feet (64 m)	Big Walnut Creek	Howe truss
Phillips Bridge	Montezuma, Parke County	1909	43 feet (13 m)	Big Pond Creek	King Post	Shortest covered bridge in the state
Portland Mills Bridge	Guion, Parke County	1856	130 feet (40 m)	Little Raccoon Creek	Burr Arch	Tied with Crooks Bridge as the fourth oldest covered bridge in the state.
Potter's Covered Bridge	Noblesville, Hamilton County	1871	259 feet (79 m)	West Fork, White River	Howe truss
Ramp Creek Bridge	Nashville, Brown County	1838	96 feet (29 m)	Salt Creek	Double Barreled Burr Arch	Oldest and only two-lane covered bridge in the state; located at the entrance to Brown County State Park.
Richland Creek Bridge	Bloomfield, Greene County	1883	100 feet (30 m)	Richland Creek	Burr Arch	Built by A.M. Kennedy and Sons
Roann Bridge	Roann, Wabash County	1872	288 feet (88 m)	Eel River	Howe truss
Rob Roy Bridge	Rob Roy, Fountain County	1860	120 feet (37 m)	Big Shawnee Creek	Howe truss
Rolling Stone Bridge	Bainbridge, Putnam County	1915	103 feet (31 m)	Big Walnut Creek	Burr Arch
Roseville-Coxville Bridge	Coxville, Parke County	1910	263 feet (80 m)	Big Raccoon Creek	Burr Arch
Rush Creek Bridge	Tangier, Parke County	1904	77 feet (23 m)	Rush Creek	Burr Arch
Salem Crossing Bridge	Zionsville, Boone County	1972	?	Fishback Creek	Howe truss
Sanatorium Bridge	Rockville, Parke County	1913	154 feet (47 m)	Little Raccoon Creek	Burr Arch
Scipio Bridge	Scipio, Jennings County	1886	146 feet (45 m)	Sand Creek	Howe truss
Shieldstown Bridge	Shields, Jackson County	1876	331 feet (101 m)	East Fork, White River	Burr Arch
Sim Smith Bridge	Montezuma, Parke County	1883	84 feet (26 m)	Leatherwood Creek	Burr Arch
Smith Bridge	Rushville, Rush County	1877	138 feet (42 m)	Big Flat Rock River	Burr Arch
Snow Hill Bridge	Rockdale, Franklin County	1895	75 feet (23 m)	Johnson Fork, Whitewater River	Howe truss
South Hill Bridge	Universal, Vermillion County	1879	122 feet (37 m)	Brouilletts Creek	Burr Arch
Spencerville Covered Bridge	Spencerville, DeKalb County	1873	160 feet (49 m)	St. Joseph River	Howe truss
Stockheughter Bridge	Enochsburg, Franklin County	1887	92 feet (28 m)	Salt Creek	Howe truss
Thorpe Ford Bridge	Rosedale, Parke County	1912	163 feet (50 m)	Big Raccoon Creek	Burr Arch
Traders Point Bridge	Indianapolis, Marion County	1880	89 feet (27 m)	Fishback Creek	Howe truss
Vermont Bridge	Kokomo, Howard County	1875	98 feet (30 m)	Kokomo Creek	Smith Type IV Truss	Moved from its original location to Highland Park in Kokomo.
Wallace Bridge	Wallace, Fountain County	1871	81 feet (25 m)	Sugar Mill Creek	Howe truss
West Union Bridge	West Union, Parke County	1876	315 feet (96 m)	Sugar Creek	Burr Arch
Westport Bridge	Westport, Decatur County	1880	115 feet (35 m)	Sand Creek	Burr Arch
Wheeling Bridge	Wheeling, Gibson County	1877	164 feet (50 m)	Patoka River	Smith Type IV Truss
White Water Canal Aqueduct Bridge	Metamora, Franklin County	1846	81 feet (25 m)	Duck Creek	Burr Arch	Located on the east side of Metamora.
Wilkins Mill Bridge	Annapolis, Parke County	1906	102 feet (31 m)	Sugar Mill Creek	Burr Arch
Williams Bridge	Williams, Lawrence County	1884	373 feet (114 m)	East Fork, White River	Howe truss	Two spans, second longest covered bridge in the state
Zacke Cox Bridge	Coxville, Parke County	1908	54 feet (16 m)	Rock Run Creek	Burr Arch

Nonextant

Name^[2]	Location ^[2]^[A]	Year built^[2]	Length	Crosses	Design	Historical notes
Bell Ford Bridge	Seymour, Jackson County	1869	330 feet (100 m)	East Fork, White River	Post Truss	Western span collapsed in 1999, while the remaining eastern span collapsed in 2006. It was the fourth longest and fifth oldest covered bridge in the state.
Bridgeton Bridge (old)	Bridgeton, Parke County	1868	245 feet (75 m)	Big Raccoon Creek	Burr Arch	Destroyed by fire in April 2005.
Clinton Bridge	Clinton, Vermillion County	1852	735 feet (224 m)	Wabash River		Four spans, removed in 1899

Notes

^A Sorting this column will result in bridges being listed in order by county.

Related Research Articles

The Burr Arch Truss—or, simply, Burr Truss or Burr Arch—is a combination of an arch and a multiple kingpost truss design. It was invented in 1804 by Theodore Burr, patented on April 3, 1817, and used in bridges, usually covered bridges.

The Mansfield Covered Bridge is a Double Burr Arch double span truss bridge located on Mansfield Road (historic) and Big Raccoon Creek in Mansfield southeast of Rockville in Parke County, Indiana. Built by Joseph J. Daniels in 1867 at a cost of $12,200. At 279 ft (85 m) it is the second longest covered bridge left in Parke County. This Historic Site rest on land provided by Indiana DNR, of Parke County, Indiana and is open to the public all year.

The Big Rocky Fork Covered Bridge is located 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of Mansfield, Indiana, on County Road 720 and about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of State Road 59, in Parke County.

Conley's Ford Covered Bridge was built in 1906 and crosses Big Raccoon Creek on County Road 550 East close to County Road 720 South, in Parke County, IN. The bridge is a single span Burr Arch Truss structure. The Conley's Ford Covered Bridge was built by J. Lawrence Van Fossen.

The Crooks Covered Bridge is a single span Burr Arch Truss structure that crosses Little Raccoon Creek built in 1855-1856 by Henry Wolf just southeast of Rockville, Indiana.

The Bowsher Ford Covered Bridge is a single span Burr Arch truss covered bridge structure that was built by J.A. Britton's son, Eugene Britton, in 1915.

The Catlin Covered Bridge is a single span Burr Arch truss covered bridge structure that was built by Clark McDaniel in 1907.

The Cox Ford Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that crosses Sugar Creek along the western edge of Turkey Run State Park, in Parke County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Evans Covered Bridge</span> Bridge in Indiana, United States

The Harry Evans Covered Bridge is a single span Burr Arch Truss structure that crosses Rock Run built in 1908 by J.A. Britton 1⁄2 mi (0.80 km) north of Coxville, Indiana USA.

The Leatherwood Station Covered Bridge is a single span double Burr Arch Truss covered bridge structure that was built by Joseph A. Britton & Son in 1899. Originally it had sandstone abutments but when it was moved to Billie Creek Village they were replaced with concrete abutments with sandstone showing.

The Marshall Covered Bridge is a single span Burr arch truss covered bridge structure that was built by Joseph A. Britton & Son in 1917. The bridge is 74 ft (23 m) long, 15 ft (4.6 m) wide, and 14 ft (4.3 m) high.

The Narrows Covered Bridge crosses Sugar Creek at the eastern edge of Turkey Run State Park and is a single span Burr Arch Truss covered bridge structure that was built by Joseph A. Britton in 1882.

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.

The Phillips Covered Bridge is southeast of Montezuma, Indiana in Parke County, Indiana and crosses Rocky Run, also known as Big Pond Creek. Unlike the rest of the bridges of Parke County, it is a single span King Post bridge structure, having no arches, that was built by Joseph A. Britton in 1909.

The Sim Smith Covered Bridge is east of Montezuma, Indiana. The single span Burr Truss covered bridge structure was built by Joseph A. Britton in 1883. The bridge is 101 feet (31 m) long, 16 feet (4.9 m) wide, and 14 feet (4.3 m) high.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Union Covered Bridge (Indiana)</span> Place in Indiana listed on National Register of Historic Places

The West Union Covered Bridge formerly carried Tow Path Road over Sugar Creek north-northeast of Montezuma, Indiana. The two-span Burr Arch Truss covered bridge structure was built by Joseph J. Daniels in 1876. It is notable for being the longest standing covered bridge in Parke County, and one of the nation's best-preserved examples of the Burr truss.

The Wilkins Mill Covered Bridge is north of Rockville, Indiana, United States. The single span Burr Arch Truss covered bridge structure was built by William Hendricks in 1906. The bridge is 120 feet (37 m) long, 16 feet (4.9 m) wide, and 13 feet (4.0 m) high.

The Zacke Cox Covered Bridge is east of Mecca, Indiana. The single span Burr Arch Truss covered bridge structure was built by Joseph A. Britton in 1908.

Joseph Albert Britton (1839–1929), most commonly known as J.A. Britton, was a builder of bridges in Indiana. He created many works that survive and are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

References

↑ Parke County Chamber of Commerce
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Indiana Atlas & Gazetteer, DeLorme Publishing; 3rd edition (2004), pg 9
↑ Caswell, William S. World Guide to Covered Bridges (2021 ed.). Concord, New Hampshire: National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. pp. 13–30. ISBN 978-0-578-30263-8.
↑ Putnam County Convention & Visitors Bureau
↑ "Historic Indiana bridge targeted by vandals". February 28, 2015.
↑ Geological Survey (U.S.) Branch of Geographic Names (July 10, 1981). "Indiana Geographic Names". U.S.G.S. Topographic Division, Office of Research & Technical Standards, National Center – via Google Books.
↑ Indiana Gazetter and Atlas, Delorme Pub; Yarmouth, Maine
↑ "The National Gazetteer of the United States of America--Indiana, 1988". U.S. Government Printing Office. July 10, 1988 – via Google Books.

External links

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[1] Parke County Chamber of Commerce

[Atlas-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Indiana Atlas & Gazetteer, DeLorme Publishing; 3rd edition (2004), pg 9

[NSPCB-3] Caswell, William S. World Guide to Covered Bridges (2021 ed.). Concord, New Hampshire: National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. pp. 13–30. ISBN 978-0-578-30263-8.

[4] Putnam County Convention & Visitors Bureau

[5] "Historic Indiana bridge targeted by vandals". February 28, 2015.

[6] Geological Survey (U.S.) Branch of Geographic Names (July 10, 1981). "Indiana Geographic Names". U.S.G.S. Topographic Division, Office of Research & Technical Standards, National Center – via Google Books.

[7] Indiana Gazetter and Atlas, Delorme Pub; Yarmouth, Maine

[8] "The National Gazetteer of the United States of America--Indiana, 1988". U.S. Government Printing Office. July 10, 1988 – via Google Books.

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