Mansfield Mill comes to life for Covered Bridge Festival

Thursday, October 4, 2018

MANSFIELD -- Area residents are invited to visit the Historic Mansfield Roller Mill to enhance their experience during the Oct. 12-21 Parke County Covered Bridge Festival.

Starting the second Friday of October each year, Parke County comes to life with tens of thousands of visitors enjoying the cool autumn weather and historic covered bridges.

The Historic Mansfield Roller Mill will be open for tours and special demonstrations of original 1880s flour-milling equipment.

The Mansfield Mill is managed by Raccoon State Recreation Area.

Parke County is home to 31 covered bridges overall, all found in a rustic setting.

Headquartered on the courthouse lawn in Rockville since 1957, the Covered Bridge Festival includes a large tent there with streets around the courthouse filled with crafters and vendors open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free entertainment is scheduled on the south side of the courthouse throughout each day.

In addition to Mansfield and Rockville, other Parke County towns such as Bridgeton, Montezuma, Mecca, Rosedale and more take part in the annual festival.

Bridgeton offers a wide array of crafters and vendors, a grist mill, the 1878 House, Case Log Cabin and 1925 schoolhouse.

Montezuma is home to an annual “Hog Roast” with many activities scheduled daily.

Mecca has a large tent of handmade items located at the Mecca Bridge alongside the One Room Schoolhouse.

The Tangier community serves its “world famous” buried beef that is considered a delicacy of the festival.

Bloomingdale, a Quaker community, prepares homemade apple butter at the Friends Church.

The Florida Civic Center in Rosedale provides items for browsing and purchasing.

The Old Railroad Depot at 401 E. Ohio St. in Rockville is home to Parke County’s information center.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: