Opinion

DAZE WORK: We can celebrate Covered Bridge Country too

Monday, October 11, 2021
Once the bridge over Ramp Creek at Fincastle (right), the only two-lane covered bridge in Indiana now forms the entry to Brown County State Park at Nashville.
Photo courtesy INDOT

As the annual Covered Bridge Festival rages on in nearby Parke County, showcasing the county’s 31 cherished covered bridges, it’s a good time to focus on Putnam County’s coveted collection of covered bridges.

After all, if you were spinning along on Twitter Sunday, checking for the latest news and NFL scores, there was a post from the Indiana Department of Transportation with a photo of the rare double-barreled covered bridge that provides the northern entrance to the Brown County State Park.

The inviting old covered bridge at the Brown County Park is the oldest and only two-lane covered bridge in the state. But probably not many know it was moved to the state park at Nashville in 1932 from its original location at Fincastle in northern Putnam County.

Photo courtesy Visualcollections@indianahistory.org

Constructed in 1838 by Henry Wolf over Ramp Creek south of Fincastle, the bridge was located along what was then known as the New Albany-Lafayette or Jeffersonville-Crawfordsville Turnpike. The roadway later became State Route 43 and finally U.S. 231.

However, in 1932, with renovations coming to the highway, the bridge was slated for demolition. But instead it was moved 130 miles to its current location at the northern entrance to the newly formed Brown County State Park. The bridge would have been dismantled due to road construction, but Richard Lieber spearheaded a movement to keep the bridge intact and move it to the new State Park in Brown County. Why not Lieber State Park we’ll never know.

The single-span Burr Arch Truss structure is 96 feet long with an additional seven-foot overhang at each end. It is the only two-lane covered bridge in Indiana with both lanes being 11 feet wide and 12 feet high.

The Ramp Creek covered bridge now crosses Salt Creek at the north entrance of Brown County State Park and is the oldest covered bridge still standing in Indiana.

The old Fincastle bridge is reportedly one of only four double-barreled bridges left in United States as of 2021.

Despite losing that famous bridge to Brown County, nine covered bridges remain standing in Putnam County, often promoted as “Covered Bridge Country” over the years.

Three of them were built in 1880, which must have been a busy year for bridge builders.

In order of their erection date, the nine surviving Putnam County covered bridges are:

Dunbar Bridge — Built in 1880 (one of my favorite stories) by local farmers of the area using timber cut on the Dunbar farm. At one time the name of J.J. Daniels was on the timbers in the Burr Arch-style bridge, so it is possible that he had a hand in the building of it.

Houck Bridge — The Howe Truss bridge was built in 1880 by Massillon Bridge Co. with the bridge getting its name from the owner of the surrounding land. The bridge has also been referred to as the Hamrick Bridge, deriving the name from the proposed relocation of the Pennsylvania Railroad and Hamrick Station.

Dick Huffman Bridge — Putnam County’s longest covered bridge at 265 feet, the Howe Truss bridge was built in 1880 by an unknown builder. In its early days it was known as the Wekty Bridge named for the old Wekty Mill nearby.

Pine Bluff Bridge — Built in 1886 by builder J.A. Britton, the Howe Truss bridge crosses Big Walnut Creek.

Oakalla Bridge — Built in 1898 by J.J. Daniels, the name of the Burr Arch-style bridge is derived from the former Oakalla Station on the old Big Four Railroad.

Baker’s Camp Bridge — Also know as Hillis Bridge, it was built in 1901 by J.J. Daniels and is of the Burr Arch type.

Rolling Stone Bridge — Built in 1915 by J.A. Britton. The Burr Arch bridge crosses Big Walnut and got its name from a large boulder in the creek which was rolled around by the action of the water. For the protection of the bridge, the boulder was eventually removed.

Cornstalk Bridge — Built in 1917 by J.A. Britton, it gets its name from the creek it crosses, Cornstalk Creek, a tributary of Big Raccoon Creek.

Edna Collings Bridge — The baby of all Indiana covered bridges was built in 1922 by Charles Collings. Considered haunted by some, the Burr Arch bridge spans Little Walnut Creek near Clinton Falls.

With the leaves beginning to turn, it’s time to pick a nice sunny day and do your own covered bridge tour. Maybe even make it a festival.

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  • Great history - great article Eric. Thank you

    -- Posted by Nit on Tue, Oct 12, 2021, at 8:09 PM
  • Love the old picture showing the old and new bridges on 231. The north foundation of the old bridge remained until a few years ago when INDOT decided to tear it down.

    -- Posted by Ben Dover on Wed, Oct 13, 2021, at 9:19 AM
  • Thanks for this Eric!

    -- Posted by jtfogle on Wed, Oct 13, 2021, at 10:15 PM
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