MeAllister Covered Bridge which crosses Little Raccoon Creek, was the third stop on our tour in…read moreParke County. This beauty was built in 1914 by the famous Joseph A. Britton, who built a majority of the bridges in the area. The Parke County Covered Bridge Map is helpful in locating the bridges and providing a tad bit of history. The bridge is crossable by car, but we parked at the base and walked across so we could study the structure and enjoy the fall colors. There is not really a parking area, cars just pulled off to the side of the road. We learned from J. A. Britton's great grandson (who we met later in the day) that Joseph studied to be an attorney, but preferred to build bridges. He learned is carpentry skills from his father. McAllister is one of the later bridges that he built. The 110 year old bridge is in remarkable shape and worth a visit.

This bridge is really tucked away and accessible by a fairly short gravel road. Easy to park and do…read morea quick three-point turn out to the main road.

This is one of the more remote of the 31 surviving covered bridges in Parke County. It was…read moreconstructed by Joseph A. Britton in 1908 (one of his 12 surviving bridges in the county) to span Rock Run creek. It is a wonderful example of the Single Span Burr Arch Truss design, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It is on Tick Ridge Road, just to the east of its terminus at 325W road. The well maintained gravel roads offer three different approaches to the bridge. We filmed it about a week after peak fall foliage, when a sea of fallen leaves and the fading color on the surrounding trees accentuated its beauty while allowing unobstructed photo possibilities. Late fall and winter are ideal for photographing the bridges of Parke County. #20 on the Parke County Covered Bridge map.

Just a few miles off the Red Route for touring Parke County Covered Bridges is the Zacke Cox…read moreCovered Bridge south of Mecca, IN. The Burr arch-truss style bridge was built in 1908 and restored in 1991 and again in 2002, so it is in good shape. The bridge is still in service though traffic is told to greatly reduce speeds to a walking pace to cross the span. The red and white bridge with black lettering has a total length of a tiny 53 feet with a span of around 51 feet which crosses the Rock Run. To find this bridge, take US 41 west of Rockville just passed Mecca Road to CR 325W (4.3 miles). Head south for 2.5 miles to reach Tickridge Road. Head east one half mile to reach the bridge. Note that Tickridge is a gravel road. Also of interest is that this bridge is just a miles away from Harry Evans Covered Bridge and Roseville Covered Bridge. Both are farther south on CR 325W which becomes a gravel road until it reaches Coxville, IN. Review #3204

In 1906, J. Larence Van Fossen put up this Single Span Double Burr Arch Truss bridge to carry…read moreCounty Road 550E across Big Raccoon Creek. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, all approaches to this bridge are via gravel surfaces. The bridge is still in use, and can be reached from US59 via County Road 720S, or from the Mansfield-Bridgeton road via Mace road.

Amidst corn fields, the Conley's Ford Covered Bridge once shepherded travelers over Big Raccoon…read moreCreek since 1906. But today, I was sad to find the historic bridge standing lonely, barricaded and closed to all traffic, including foot traffic. Extensive damage to the west wall of the bridge was evident. The road was blocked to the bridge, so we parked and walked the 0.2 mile to the bridge. Trees were down near the bridge and the ground was muddy. The bridge was built by J. Lawrence Van Fossen in 1906. The 192' bridge is designed with a double Burr Arch truss. The bridge is unusual in that it is constructed of white pine verses poplar. I'm not sure if there are plans to repair the bridge, but she certainly needs some love.

Still in Parke County but outside Rockville, this is another Joseph A. Britton covered bridge that…read morehe completed in 1913. It is a single-span Burr Arch structure. This is originally the site of two other bridges that had been washed away before this one, the State Sanatorium Covered Bridge, was moved to here. It is open to traffic But I opted to take the bypass with the Sprinter van. The road to the east is hard packed dirt and not a great run. Total length of 170 feed with a clearance of 12.5 feet, it would have been fine for my heavy van but I thought, let's not today. [Review 1297 of 2024 - 174 in Indiana - 22320 overall]

This Single Span Burr Arch Truss originally crossed Little Raccoon Creek on State Sanatorium…read moreproperty, about a mile downstream from its current location. It was moved in 2008 to carry County Road 100N across Little Raccoon Creek. #1 on the Parke County Covered Bridge Map and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, the bridge was built by J.A. Britton in 1913-- one of the twelve covered bridges that he constructed in the county.

The Phillips, or Arabia covered bridge, carries Arabia Road across Rocky Run Creek (alias Big Pond…read moreCreek), This four segment King Post Truss design was put up in 1909 by J.A. Britton. It is one of a dozen covered bridges that he built in Parke County, and it has the distinction at 43 feet in length of being the shortest of the 31 surviving bridges. In the National Register of Historic Places since 1978, it is #22 on the Parke Country Covered Bridge Map. You will find it about six miles west of Rockville, just off US 36.

One of the smaller covered bridges of Parke County can be found on the "Brown" Route designed by…read morethe County for exploring their multiple bridges. The Phillips Covered Bridge is only 60 feet in length and spans 39 feet over Rocky Run. Though it has the standard Parke County colors of red walls, with white faces and black lettering, the bridge is a rarity in these parts. It doesn't use the standard Burr Arch-truss support system. Instead, it uses a multiple Kingpost through truss system. No long curved arch in this one. Just lots of sturdy vertical beams. To view this drive through bridge, take US 36 west from Rockville to CR W 40N (about 4.5 miles). Take that to about a third of a mile to Arabia Road. The bridge is about 400 feet to the south. The road is paved! The bridge is less than a mile away from Sim Smith Covered Bridge which is further west on W 40N. Review #3215

In 1910, Jefferson P. Van Fossen received the contract to erect this Double Span Burr Arch Truss…read morebridge. It carries Virostko Road across Big Raccoon Creek, replacing an earlier effort (1865) of Joseph J. Daniels that was destroyed by arson. At 263 feet in length, it is one of the longest of the surviving covered bridges in Parke County (#18 on the Covered Bridge Map). It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. As Harold Rau details in his A Guide to the Covered Bridges of Parke County, Indiana (2016), this is the one bridge with an unclear history. "Witnesses from the construction site claim the on-site foreman was Joseph J. Daniels, 84 years old at the time. But, an old photograph of the nearly finished bridge shows J.P. Van Fossen as contractor and J. Brooks as builder. The name of J.J. Daniels does not appear in the photo. The on-site witnesses didn't remember Mr. Brooks, and later photographs show portal lettering with J.J. Daniels as builder. However, the current portal inscription only reads 'Van Fossen' (p. 56)."

Just a short distance off the Red Route for touring Parke County Covered Bridges is the Roseville…read moreCovered Bridge near Coxville, IN. The Burr arch-truss style bridge was built in 1910 and restored in 1977, so it is in pretty good shape. The bridge is still in service though traffic is told to greatly reduce speeds to a walking pace to cross the span. The red and white bridge with black lettering has a total length of a whopping 282 feet (2nd longest in the County) with the single longest span of around 119 feet which crosses the Big Raccoon Creek. The rest of the length hovers over ground that can frequently flood. There is also a marker on the west side of the bridge telling about the history of Rossville. To find this bridge, take US 41 west of Rockville to Coxville Road (7 miles). Head south for 4.25 miles to CR 325 W in Coxville. The bridge is only about 400 feet ahead on this gravel road. Note that this bridge is only 0.8 miles away from Harry Evans Covered Bridge which is also on CR 325W to the north. If you are coming from Rosedale, take Main Street/Coxville Road north 2.25 miles to Coxville and CR 325W. Head east. Review #3175

Situated about half a mile north of Coxville on County Road 325W (gravel), this Single Span Double…read moreBurr Arch Truss structure was built by Joseph A. Britton in 1908 to span Rock Run Creek. The bridge is still in use, although it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. #19 on the Parke County Covered Bridge Map, it is but one of the twelve covered bridges that Britton put up in this county.

Just a few miles off the Red Route for touring Parke County Covered Bridges is the Harry Evans…read moreCovered Bridge between Mecca and Coxville, IN. The Burr arch-truss style bridge was built in 1908 and restored in 1977, so it is in pretty good shape. The bridge is still in service though traffic is told to greatly reduce speeds to a walking pace to cross the span. The red and white bridge with black lettering has a total length of a modest 81 feet with a span of around 61 feet which crosses the Rock Run. To find this bridge, take US 41 west of Rockville just passed Mecca Road to CR 325W (4.3 miles). Head south for 5 miles to reach the bridge. Much of this is gravel road. Also of interest is that this bridge is only 0.8 miles away from Roseville Covered Bridge which is also on CR 325W to the south. Zacke Cox Covered Bridge is fairly close to the north along CR 325W, half a mile east on Tickridge Road. If you are coming from Rosedale, take Main Street/Coxville Road north 2.25 miles to Coxville and CR 325W. Head east/north for about 1 mile on CR 325W. Review #3203

This beautiful Single Span Burr Arch Truss was the first of the dozen covered bridges built by…read moreJoseph A. Britton in Parke County (1882). It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Spanning Sugar Creek, today it sits alongside Narrows Road on the eastern edge of Turkey Run State Park, having been bypassed in 1960. It is #37 on the Parke County Covered Bridge Map.

On the far eastern edge of Turkey Run State Park, Narrows Road crosses Sugar Creek at a high…read moreelevation. Just to the west of the road is a covered bridge that was built in 1882 but was bypassed for preservation and safety. The new road has stairs that lead down to the covered bridge though I didn't see any designated parking. So, be careful pulling off the road to park and crossing to the stairs. The bridge is listed as 121 feet long though I don't know if that is the total length or just the length of the span over Sugar Creek. The bridge features the standard Burr Arch-truss support system and uses the standard red and white colors with black lettering. You can walk through the bridge and because it is no longer used for traffic, you can get some decent views of the bridge as you move around the grounds on either end. Review #3229