The Bridges of Parke County - Day 1

So I finally arrived in Parke County.   Prior to getting my hotel room, I decided to check out the first place where I saw that there was a bridge.  This particular place was Mansfield, IN.

 Mansfield is home to a rolling mill and this was the damn that was used to support that mill.  Mansfield started in 1820 as New Dublin and was found by James Kelsey.  Sadly, I didn't get a great picture of the mill.

 However, it wasn't the mill that attracted me to Mansfield, it was one of the covered bridges.  Built in 1867 at the cost of $12,000 by Joseph J. Daniels.  At 279 feet long, it is the longest covered bridge left in Parke County.  Like many of the bridges there, it is a Burr Arch Bridge (more on that later).

 Mansfield itself seems to be mostly a tourist thing now.  They host a Covered Bridge Festival in October (along with the other towns in the area).  For some reason, it reminded me of the village that is set up for the Ren Fest here.

 A replica of a church.

 A storefront of some sort.

 Another angle of the Mansfield Bridge.

 The roller mill was built in 1820 and it allowed Mansfield to grow to around 300 people.

 The Mansfield Bridge from the other side.

 The Big Rocky Fork Bridge was built in 1900 by Joseph Daniels.  It is 88 feet long.  As you can see, it currently stands bypassed.  It was closed in 1988 but it is part of the National Register of Historic Places.

 It's kind of a nice looking bridge.

 And kind of peaceful looking without a road leading into it.

 One more shot.

 This is a building that kind of caught my eye as I was wandering around the area.

 Another angle of that building.

 This is part of the Cecil M. Harden Lake which was sort of created by the creation of a Reservoir by the Corps of Engineers in the 1950's.  It is named after the person who fought for the Lake.

 Lake levels are a bit high right now.

 Another Bridge built by Joseph Daniels.  The abutments were made from stone that were supplied by a nearby quarry.

 The Bridge itself is 78 feet long and was sort of bypassed.

It was built in 1895.