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.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.

However, Indiana is considered to have 98 historic wooden-covered bridges. Fourteen of these bridges were built before 1870 with the Burr Arch.

Parke County lays claims on being the covered bridge capital of the world. Combined with the six counties that surround it, there are 51 of Indiana’s 98 covered bridges in this small area with Parke County having 32, Putnam County having 9, Fountain County having 3, Vermillion County having 3, Montgomery County having 2, Owen County having 1, and Vigo County with 1. The majority of Indiana's bridges, 54 bridges, are Burr Arch truss designs, while the next most common truss style is a Howe truss with 23 bridges.

Indiana also has examples of King and Queen Posts, the Long Truss, and the Smith Type IV Truss. The remaining span of the Bell Ford Bridge, northwest of Seymour in Jackson County, collapsed in January 2006. It was the last standing example of a Post Truss covered bridge in the world.

Reference:  www.in.gov/history/files/coveredbridges.pdf