Covered Bridge Festival of Parke County Indiana

The "Covered Bridge Capital of the World" is Parke County, Indiana. There are 30 historic covered bridges in the county, which are on the National Register of Historic Places. Every October, there is a festival celebrating the covered bridges of Parke County, starting on the second weekend of the month. Autumn is an especially beautiful time to visit the Midwestern countryside. Fall colors decorate the trees and the weather is mild. The Parke County Covered Bridge Festival is regarded as one of the "Top Fall Festivals in North America" by the Society of American Travel Writers. The festival is scheduled for October 10 -19. 2008.

Parke County Covered Bridges

Parke County is a rural countryside with preserved small towns, Amish country and historic covered bridges. Many of the 30 bridges in the county are still in daily use. The covered bridge festival started in 1957, in an effort to generate revenue for the preservation and upkeep of the historic structures. As the historic bridges are replaced by more modern structures, the bridges become the property of the County Park Board to be maintained as museum pieces for future generations.

The Parke County Covered Bridge Festival is headquartered on the courthouse lawn in Rockville, Indiana. The ten day festival fills a large tent and streets around the courthouse with crafters and vendors from 9 am to 6 pm. Free entertainment is scheduled on the south side of the courthouse each day of the festival.

Bus Tours of Covered Bridges

Guided bus tours leave the square daily, during the festival, to make stops at the communities and to see covered bridges along the way. The bus tours offers a choice of two routes: the Red Route or the Yellow Route. The Red Route travels the southern section of Parke County, with stops in Bridgeton, Rosedale and Mecca. The Yellow Route travels through farm communities, including Bloomington, Tangier and Montezuma.

Recommended Tour Routes

Parke County has maps of recommended routes that can be used for individual tours. Following are the bridges on each route. The Parke County website provides additional historical detail about each bridge.

Red Route

• Crooks Bridge, 1856. Little Raccoon Creek.
• McAllister Bridge, 1914. Little Raccoon Creek.
• Mecca Bridge, 1873. Big Raccoon Creek.
• Neet Bridge, 1904. Little Raccoon Creek.
• Roseville Bridge #2, 1910. Big Raccoon Creek.

Yellow Route

• Catlin Bridge, 1907. Sunderland Creek, moved to Bill Diddle.
• Jackson Bridge, 1861. Sugar Creek.
• Marshall Bridge, 1917 Rush Creek.
• Rush Creek Bridge, 1904. Rush Creek.
• West Union Bridge, 1876. Sugar Creek.

Black Route

• Beeson Bridge, 1906. Bridge was on Big Raccoon Creek, but has been moved to Williams Creek.
• Big Rocky Fork Bridge, 1900. Big Rocky Fork Creek.
• Billie Creek Bridge, 1895. Williams Creek.
• Crooks Bridge, 1856. Little Raccoon Creek.
• Leatherwood Station Bridge, 1899. Bridge was on Leatherwood Creek, but has been moved to Williams Creek.
• Mansfield Bridge, 1867. Big Raccoon Creek.
• McAllister Bridge, 1914. Little Raccoon Creek.
• Neet Bridge, 1904. Little Raccoon Creek.

Blue Route

• Catlin Bridge, 1907. Bridge was on Sunderland Creek, but has been moved to Bill Diddle.
• Cox Ford Bridge, 1913. Sugar Creek
• Jackson Bridge, 1861. Sugar Creek.
• Narrows Bridge, 1882. Sugar Creek.
• Wilkins Mill Bridge, 1906. Sugar Mill Creek (now dry bed).

Brown Route

• Mecca Bridge, 1873. Big Raccoon Creek.
• Melcher Bridge, 1896. Leatherwood Creek.
• Phillips Bridge, 1909. Big Pond Creek.
• Sim Smith Bridge, 1883. Leatherwood Creek.

Where is Parke County?

Parke County is in Indiana, just east of the Illinois/Indiana state line. Driving distances: Chicago, IL160 miles, Indianapolis, IN 55 miles; Springfield, IL 130 miles; Terre Haute, IN 25 miles. Mileage estimates are from mapquest.

Leatherwood Station Covered Bridge

Cade Mill Bridge

Big Rocky Fork

Narrows Covered Bridge Turkey Run

Rolling Stone Covered Bridge

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