Indiana's covered bridge era began in
the early 1830s when the National Road first crossed the state. The first Hoosier covered
bridge was completed in 1835 in Henry County. It is estimated that between 400 and 500
covered bridges may have existed in Indiana. The American Society of Civil Engineers
suggests that perhaps 10,000 covered bridges were built in the United States between 1805
and 1885.
Because the bridges were constructed
with timber, they were covered to protect them from the elements. They were often the
largest covered area in a community and were sometimes used for revival meetings,
weddings, and political rallies.
Two major Indiana covered bridge
builders, J. J. Daniels and Joseph A. Britton, lived in the Rockville area, and a third,
A. M. Kennedy working with his sons and grandsons, lived in Rushville. This explains the
concentration of covered bridges in Parke and Rush counties. Between them, they built 158
bridges in Indiana.
In 1930, the Indiana Historical Society
formed the Covered Bridge Committee. The committee's objectives were the collection and
dissemination of information about covered bridges and their builders. They compiled a
directory showing the location of each of the then existing 202 covered bridges in
Indiana.
R. B. Yule, engineer of Bridge
Investigation and Location, Indiana Highway Commission and chairman of the Covered Bridge
Committee, stated in Highway magazine, October 1938, "The committee hopes to have
several good examples of covered bridge construction in parks or on secondary roads
preserved for the use and interest of several generations to come. Like most engineering
works where motion is not involved, careful maintenance will keep for us indefinitely
these useful relics of a past generation."
In 1998, however only ninety-three
covered timber bridges remain in the Hoosier state. Many bridges have fallen victim to
local apathy, the forces of nature, arson, and/or careless driving. Greene County's only
covered bridge had recently been restored at a cost of $300,000 and was scheduled to
reopen this spring. Vandals knocked a hole in the 115-year-old wooden structure forcing
the Greene County Landmarks Foundation to delay the reopening and look for funds to repair
the damage.
The Indiana Covered Bridge Society is
trying to raise awareness and appreciation of these vanishing structures and their impact
on local history. For more information about the society, contact: Indiana Covered Bridge
Society Inc., 725 Sanders Street, Indianapolis, IN 46203-1856.
Most of the bridge builders in Indiana were not well educated men, but were very skilled carpenters.
Below is my collection of the Covered Bridges of Indiana. All pictures were taken by my wife or I on weekend outings Our goal is to try and capture some of their magnificent beauty and the history of each of these unique works of art. It is our wish that you might enjoy seeing the pictures and perhaps learn something new about these bits of history. We hope to visit and collect pictures of all 93 covered bridges in Indiana in the next few months, so if you find the bridges of interest to you stop back often as the collection grows to see and learn more. If you know of any factual history on any of these bridges not mentioned, please send it along to us along with your name and receive credit for your input. If not grab your favorite beverage and enjoy the bridges.
Now showing 42 of the 93 bridges left in Indiana.
Covered Bridges of Indiana listed by County
This page was created on 10/26/98 and last updated on 09/01/02