Pretty covered bridge close to so many of the other fascinating historic covered bridges in the…read morearea.

Situated on the western edge of Turkey Run State Park, this Single Span Burr Arch Truss bridge was…read morebuilt in 1913 by J.A. Britton-- one of the dozen covered bridges that he erected in Parke County. It carries Cox Ford Road over Sugar Creek, and is easily accessed from US41 via a short stretch of gravel road. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, it is #36 on the Parke County Covered Bridge Map.

On the east side of downtown Crawfordsville, you may notice a stretch of land on Wabash Street that…read moreis lined with large estates with beautiful old homes. A great deal of the property was once held by local business man, Isaac Elston. He and his wife raised nine children, many of whom lived along this stretch, including his daughter Joanna and her husband, Henry S Lane. Lane was a lawyer and prominent politician who was a key player in getting Abraham Lincoln nominated for President, and was actually elected Governor of Indiana with his Lieutenant Governor Oliver Morton. In those days, US Senators were appointed and since Lane knew he would become appointed Senator, led the gubernatorial ticket instead of the controversial Morton. Two days after taking office as Governor, Lane stepped down so that he could become Senator while allowing Morton to step into the Governor's position. Seems like wheeling and dealing have always been part of the American Way. Lane is known as one of the most popular founders of the Republican Party as the Whigs were losing power and elections to the Democratic Party. New life needed to be breathed into the party, so a fresh start was needed. Lane, along with others like Lincoln, was a great orator and he was able to bring people together to agree with his ideas. The Lane House/Place/Mansion/Museum (it goes by many names including Antebellum in the description) is a beautiful estate which faces Water Street, but has access from Pike Street which allows you to pull onto the driveway and walk around to the entrance. For $5, you can take a guided tour of the home and see the elaborate collections of historical and political memorabilia. It is open from March 1 to December 1, Tuesdays through Saturdays until 5 p.m. The tours are individually available so you don't have to wait until a set time to start. That allows time to ask lots of questions. So, the tour can last for well over an hour if you are curious like I was. (see website for specifics on prices and other issues.) The house started off modestly, but was added to over several phases as the family grew. The tour starts off with showing the formal entry and music parlor. The opulence is immediately apparent as you see the paintings of family members and a porcelain inlaid cabinet designed specifically for holding piano music. That room connects to the study which is filled with collections of political papers and photos that were collected by Lane. There are many historical items as well, including doctor's medical kits, and many other period items. From there, you enter the formal dining room loaded with more plates and serving specific bowls, plates, and utensils than most people could guess at. Everything had a purpose and though it may seem odd now, was expected of those wishing to maintain the highest social standing. Rounding out the rest of the first floor tour is a less formal room where the children would often play while the adults would meet in the previous rooms. Paintings of the children and a miniature tea set can be seen. Heading upstairs via a custom made stairway (Joanna was quite short in stature), the tour leads you through three bedrooms. There you will see the crib that Joanna and her eight siblings all slept in as infants. Beyond that room is the one selected by Joanna's niece Helen who became the home's owner after Joanna passed away. Helen blew through her inheritance fitting the house with more upgrades (?) and additions. The room is quite bold in appearance. The last room on the tour was the guest bedroom which includes a knocker on the door and a private balcony over looking the yard on the north side. In there, a bed of a man named Whitlock is currently being displayed. Wherever Whitlock went, he had his bed disassembled and put up where he stayed. Must have been a man of influence to make his hosts put up with that eccentricity! The house is filled with family items that boast around a 95% authenticity rating. That is one of the highest I've found in my travels. So, if you want to get a feeling for what a place looked like when the owners lived there, this should be at the top of your list! Review #1388

The Beeson Covered Bridge was moved to Billie Creek Village in 1980. A plaque says that the Burr…read moreArch bridge was built in 1906 by Frankfort Construction Company. The bridge originally crossed Roaring Creek in Marshal Indiana. The bridge is only opened to pedestrian traffic. I walked the 120 year old bridge several times. Some of the side panels seem to be in disrepair. Festive string lights hang inside the bridge. The bridge is part of the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival, but I like visiting these bridge at other times to avoid the crowds. There is nearby free parking.

Originally crossing Roaring Creek, the Beeson Covered Bridge was moved to this location in December…read more1979. It is a single span Burr Arch covered bridge that was built in 1906 by the Frankfurt Construction Company, the only surviving bridge in Parke County that was built by a professional construction company. It is 55 feet long and has a clearance of 12 feet 6 inches. Only open to pedestrians at this time. And it's still in very good condition considering that it has survived TWO arsons. Gosh, people suck! It is one of the set pieces that is part of the Billie Creek Village. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of the Park County Covered Bridge Festival.

Built by J.J. Daniels in 1896 (one of his nine covered bridges in Parke County) to carry Strawberry…read moreRoad over Leatherwood Creek west of Rockville, this Single Span Burr Arch Truss was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. #24 on the Parke County Covered Bridge Map, it was closed to traffic when we viewed it in early November of 2022.

This covered bridge is fairly average for Parke County. Middle length (99 feet with an 81' span…read moreover the Leatherwood Creek), middle age (built in 1896), and uses the standard red and white paint scheme with black lettering. It also is another Burr arch-truss structure like most of them. The bridge, also known as "Marion" and "Klondyke", is in pretty good shape having undergone two restorations (1977 and again in 1995). This is one of the more isolated bridges along the "brown" route. It isn't far from a couple bridges to the south "as the crow flies". The problem is there aren't many county roads in the area. If you are coming from Montezuma, head east on US 36 about 1 mile and turn north onto county road N 600W. Go about 500 ft and turn east on Strawberry Road. Follow that about a mile to the bridge. The roads are paved. From Rockville, there are backroads you can take, but I think it easiest to take US 36 west about 7 miles to N 600W. Follow the directions above to find the bridge. There is a bit of a gravel pull off, but I would still caution you to be aware of traffic since the bridge is still in service. Review #3217

Had a great tour and learned about a great figure in American history. The staff has a done a…read morewonderful job persevering the grounds and it just gorgeous!

Such a great experience! Extremely informative! The museum has many cool artifacts from Lew…read moreWallace's life as well as props from Ben-Hur film adaptations. The study itself is stunning. Our tour guide Tom was extremely knowledgeable and explained the history of Wallace's life and all the objects in the study in a very engaging way! This is a can't miss spot in Crawfordsville!

This Single Span Burr Arch Truss design was built by Joseph A. Britton in 1883 to span Leatherwood…read moreCreek. It is located about six miles west of Rockville, just off US36 on Country Road 4. It is normally visited in tandem with the nearby Phillips covered bridge. This was the third of Britton's twelve covered bridges in Parke County, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It is #23 on the Parke County Covered Bridge Map.

Southeast of Montezuma, Indiana is a relatively old covered bridge dating back to 1883…read more Fortunately, it underwent some restoration in 1997 to keep it still in service today. The Sim Smith Bridge is about 102 feet in length with a span of 81 feet crossing the Leatherwood Creek. It is a Burr Arch-truss structure with the standard Parke County colors of red and white with black lettering. The good news is the road is paved. The bad news is there isn't a pull off spot, so be careful! The bridge is located on the "brown" route of the Parke County tour trails. To find this bridge, head east from Montezuma along US 36 about 2.5 miles to CR 510W. Head south about a third of a mile and the bridge should be within view on W 40N. You can also find it from Rockville by traveling west 5.5 miles on US 36 the same county road. Review #3216

The Eugene Covered Bridge is one of the most accessible bridges in the area. Since the bridge was…read moreclosed to vehicular traffic in 1974, it allows for more exploration of the inside of the bridge without fear of being run over. The bridge was built in 1873 by JJ Daniels using the Burr Arch-truss system. Built over the Vermillion River, the bridge is 187 feet long, with the longest span being 176.8 feet. The bridge also has convenient parking and windows on each side that makes it easy to get great views of the river. The covered bridge uses the familiar red sides and white faced openings of the area. Review #2834

EAGLE CAFÉ AND COVERED BRIDGE I had breakfast for dinner. It…read morewas very good, and the portions were decent. The price was very fair like most restaurants here. The server was efficient and friendly. Most of the servers at these small-town restaurants are like this. I could hear a few conversations around me. I could tell these were mostly farmers. It was very quaint. Being from California, I really appreciate this hometown type of restaurant. I wasn't there for the restaurant. That was just an extra perk. I was there for the covered bridge of the same name next to it. I left Nika in the car to eat and then walked her around the bridge. There was a dog on the other side of the bridge that was chained up out back that barked the at Nika the whole time. The bridge was beautiful as most of them are. I have a fascination for covered bridges. There are none in California. I have been to several since I've been living in Indiana. This one, as most do, has a stream under it. There is easy access to the stream unlike most covered bridges.

We had a heck of a time finding this little covered bridge. We drove around in circles before we…read moreasked someone at the campground. The Catlin Bridge is located near the southside of a golf course. There is parking and we walked down to see the bridge. It was a beautiful day and people were playing golf so I had to dodge a few balls. The Parke County Covered Bridge map and sign at the site told us that the 54' bridge was built in 1907 by Clark McDaniel and relocated to the golf course in 1961. The Burr Arch bridge is lovely but showing signs of age. It looks like the creek that may run under the bridge is dry. We talked to the manager of the golf course and he recommended a couple of his favorite spots in Parke County to visit and we did. (I love Midwest hospitality.)

This Single Span Burr Arch Truss was put up by Clark McDaniel in 1907 to carry the…read moreRockville-Rosedale Road across Sunderland Creek north of Catlin. In 1961, it was moved to the Rockville Golf Course, where it now crosses Bill Diddle Creek. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, it is #13 on the Parke County Covered Bridge Map. It can be viewed from the north end of the club's parking lot.