We had a bit of trouble finding Big Rocky Fork Covered Bridge, but eventually we did. The bridge…read morehas been bypassed by a newer bridge that stands parallel. We found parking at one end of the bridge and walked through tall grass to the single Burr Arch truss span bridge. The 72' bridge was built by the prolific bridge builder, J. J. Daniels, in 1900. The single lane bridge served until 1987, but still stands proud at 126 years old. The inside is spattered with a bit of graffiti that has been covered with white paint. Outside, the boards show some rotting around the bottom. I was surprised at the good condition of the floor boards. She needs a little love, perhaps the Covered Bridge Festival will pick up donations for the repairs.

Bypassed in 1987, this Single Span Burr Arch Truss was built by Joseph J. Daniels in 1900 to carry…read moreGreencastle Road (County Road 720) over Big Rocky Creek. Access is easy and fully paved; the bridge sits about two miles east of US59 outside Mansfield. One of nine covered bridges that Daniels put up in Parke County, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978; it is #6 on the Parke County Covered Bridge Map.

The Bridgeton Mill was established in 1823 and is the oldest continuously runing grist mill in…read moreIndiana. Mike and Karen Roe bought the mill in 1995 and have worked feverishly to maintain and operate this 200 year old historical business. My husband and I visited the mill today and Mike spent an hour providing us with the fascinating history and tour of the mill, describing different types of ground flours and meals. He demonstrated how he mills grain. Today, the mill produces and sells a variety of different wheat flours, brans and corn meals. Grains are Amish sourced locally. I purchased blue corn meal, rare Einkorn flour, Miller's blend flour and wheat bran. I also bought a book about the local covered bridges. If you want to visit the mill, go during off peak time, before or after the Covered Bridge Festival. The crowds of tourists during the festival will make it difficult to enjoy and learn about the mill. And if you want to meet Mike, go soon, as he has the mill up for sale. Attached to the mill is a small snack bar that serves sandwiches, beverages and ice cream. The cheeseburgers are served on homemade wheat rolls and are juicy and delicious. Tables overlook the covered bridge and creek. The clerk/cook is friendly. The place is not fancy or upscale, but small town wonderful. There is no charge to visit the mill, although donations are requested to assist with repairs to the dam. Bridgeton Mill is a special place to visit and support a family-run business and learn about Indiana's history. There is plenty of parking and restroom are available.

It's a new bridge but still done in that classic style. We took this in before the Covered Bridge…read moreFestival so we could enjoy the beautiful area before the crowds. If you come during the festival this place is filled with activities and vendors

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.

I was in the Franklin area for a work obligation and finally made it over to see the famed "Grave…read morein The Middle of The Road." One of the more unique graves around, this grave nearly always shows up on any list of Indiana's most unique roadside attractions. Of course, this isn't "roadside." It's in the middle of the road and serves as a sort of divider in the road. The grave is for Nancy Kerlin Barnett, married to William Barnett. Fun fact: William was the great great great grandson of Pocahontas and John Rolfe. Nancy passed away on 12/1/31. She was buried here - a place that used to be a hill overlooking Sugar Creek. Over the years, the area became a small cemetery. Eventually, a small footpath was made. Finally, they wanted to put a small county road here. While it's not certain, it's believed that most graves in the area were moved. However, Nancy's grave stuck around as one of the son's protested moving it. Eventually, they wanted to widen the road - this time around, per report, grandson Daniel showed up with a shotgun essentially saying "Over my dead body." So, she stayed again. They built the road around her and a concrete slab was placed over the grave. On August 8, 1912, a historical marker was also placed. To this day, the grave remains and is definitely considered an "attraction." Anyone who visits roadside attractions in Indiana will eventually make it here. It took me way too long. Surprisingly, it's also fairly accessible and the road is really fairly lightly traveled. It's not hard to stop and see it, though given it's a hill you do have to be a bit cautious even with slow traffic. Is this the best roadside attraction you'll ever see? Of course not. It is, however, a cool sort of cultural icon in Indiana and worth a stop for those in the area. It's definitely not what I'd call a destination attraction. Franklin is a great community to visit, however, I'd certainly not drive down just for this unless you're truly a gravesite person.

This was on a list of unusual things to do/see in Indiana so I had to check it out. The story goes…read morelike this. They were developing the road and it was going right through where the grave is. So they decided to dig the grave up, to which the grandson of the deceased said, ohh heck nawww. It ain't going down like that, and he grabbed his shotgun and threatened the powers. to be so bad that they came up with the compromise of incorporating his gam gam's grave into the new road. So, here we are. Down the center line of the road you will find a tombstone covered with pennies and an occasional flower or two. There is also a historical road marker on the side of the road as well, detailing the significance of the spot. This stop is just or brief stop or drive by. There is really no good place to pull over. I had to be creative and pray. To my favor was that the street was not very busy. An occasional car would pass by. Well now, I can check off "seeing a grave in the middle of the road" off of my bucket list. On to the next adventure.

It was only a matter of time. The Mug Tree was an old tree. Mugs were placed with it and that…read morebrought it alive again in our hearts. Many, many mugs. Travelers along the highway admired that old tree, adorned with mugs. It offered a silent respite in our daily lives. It offered hope, that no matter what pains we carried, there was the Mug Tree. The Mug Tree, which was created out of the generosity of hundreds of people, most likely strangers to each other, but friends with a common goal of taking an old, dead tree along a country highway and giving it purpose, once more. The Mug Tree. A local landmark, never to be recognized as a national monument. Unlike the more famous curiosities just a few miles north in Casey, this oddity stood outside of the door to fame. Yet, to those of us who passed by, it stood for years alongside that country highway, day and night. Like an old trusted friend. So, to those who read these words and never knew the Mug Tree, I am sorry for your loss. And to those thousands of travelers that passed by and noticed, if you grieve, you grieve not alone. Dear Mug Tree: So long, my friend. Thanks for all the smiles you brought to our hearts.

So... It was fun to see this tree in passing on the way to Effingham but I felt like the house on…read moretop could've been utilized for birds or something.

Vigo County's Pioneer Village can be found within Fowler Park. Besides driving through the park to…read morevisit, you can use the small parking lot along Bono Road and walk into the park from that entrance which accesses the village and covered bridge. Most of the year, the village is open to browse, but the buildings are locked. Some have convenient windows to browse in, but not all of them. You will also notice that some are authentic buildings which have been preserved by moving them to this gathering spot from across the area (including Illinois). Others are constructed from wood salvaged from other cabins/structures that had met their demise. What is created is a homogeneous collection of buildings that you might find if you could travel back in time 180 years to a small town in the area. Vigo County does open the village up the first weekend in October to re-enactors and vendors to celebrate the annual Pioneer Days. I believe there is a $5 fee for attending. I was surprised that I didn't see any promotion for the event in 2019 since I was there just a few days too early. If you are interested, I would suggest contacting the county's parks department. From what I heard from the staff at the guard house, the village has grown over the years as additional buildings have been relocated. While there, be sure to check out one of the State's oldest covered bridges on the south side of the village. Review #2957

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.

Completed in 1972, the Salem Crossing Covered Bridge crosses Fishback Creek, just to the west of…read moreSalem Road. It was built by E.J. Murphy who earned an engineering degree at Purdue University and subsequently moved to Zionsville. Interestingly, the dedication of the bridge was attended by U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey. U.S. Senator Vance Hartke, U.S. Senator Birch Bayh, and "Bonanza" actor Lorne Greene. After Murphy passed away in 1981, the Kennerk family purchased the property and bridge in 1982 from Murphy's estate. The Kennerks renamed the bridge Salem's Crossing in 1996. The bridge is not open to traffic and I believe that it might be located on private property. So keep that in mind if you're planning to visit. [Review 20587 overall - 121 in Indiana - 1568 of 2023.]