The Mansfield Covered Bridge is a Double Burr Arch double-span truss bridge located on Mansfield Road and Big Raccoon Creek in Mansfield southeast of Rockville in Parke County, Indiana. It was built by Joseph J. Daniels in 1867 at a cost of $12,200. At 279 ft it is the second-longest covered bridge left in Parke County. This Historic Site rests on land provided by Luke Moody, of Parke County, Indiana, and is open to the public all year.

Built for a time during which only wagons, horses, and pedestrians used the bridge, the Mansfield Bridge has a 10-short-ton load limit. The bridge had been used for State Route 59 and in one recorded story, three loaded oil trucks approached the bridge together. The first truck stalled out just before leaving the bridge, and all three trucks came to a stop on the two spans. There was no apparent damage to the strong structure. The arches combined with the truss are able to support more weight than needed so the limit is in the decking and material used for it. Mansfield Bridge was closed in 1980 for repair to the abutments, roof, and decking. The roof and decks were replaced again in October 1990 by the Parke County Highway Department.

Dimensions: Length of largest span: 125 ft.; total length: 274.9 ft.; deck width: 15.4 ft.; vertical clearance above deck: 12.5 ft.

The bridge's history stems back to James Kelsey and his wife coming to the Mansfield area from Ireland in 1819. Later, he and Francis Dickson erected a mill in about 1820. The village was on the Indian trail from Orchard Town (in Terre Haute) to Cornstalk, an Indian village in Sugar Creek Township. The mill was about 30 feet square and the foundation of the mill and dam was an unbroken floor of red sandstone. The village was called New Dublin, named after the Irish city.

A sawmill was attached to the north side of the mill in 1830 and used a sash saw. This was used to saw timbers for the next mill. The first mill had grown to 48 feet by 56 feet and three stories high but was not suited for new machinery.

Jacob Rohm built a new mill in 1880 after buying the mill in 1874 after a freshet destroyed the dam with ice. The new dam was seven feet tall. (A former owner had built up the dam to 9 feet and the water had destroyed a nearby field. A court ordered it reduced to seven feet and it had been extended to protect the field.) The new mill was 26 by 34 feet and 3 1/2 stories high.

In about 1892, the Fort Wayne, Terre Haute, and Southwestern Railroad built a spur to the red sandstone quarry near Mansfield. The tracks passed a few feet from the front entrance. The railroad bought the mill to settle the access dispute. After the quarry and railroad failed, the mill was returned to the Rohm Brothers.

In 1913, the old wooden dam was replaced by a concrete one 180 feet long by 7 feet high, reinforced with iron stays and buttresses. One buttress was made into a fish ladder about 40 feet long and 6 feet wide. Colonel Johnston was elected county commissioner in 1866. As some of his opponents predicted, he built a covered bridge in 1867. The ethical questions arose because he owned the land on both sides of the bridge and a new access road had to be built on the east side. One month after the completion of the Roseville Bridge, J.J. Daniels was appointed to draw up plans and specifications for the Mansfield Bridge. He was awarded the contract on December 7, 1866, and the bridge was completed and inspected on September 4, 1867.

Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on December 22, 1978.

Located at:  N39 40.539    W87 06.105      -      WGCB #14-61-20

Photographed in May 2022