The Mill Creek Covered Bridge also known as "Thompson's Ford Covered Bridge," "Tow Path Covered Bridge," or "Earl Ray Covered Bridge" crosses Wabash Mill Creek (historic) southwest of

Tangier, Indiana Tangier (also called Long Siding or Woodys Corner) is an unincorporated community in Liberty Township, Parke County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. History Tangier was platted in 1886. The community was named after Tangier Tangier ( ; ; a ...

. It is a single span

Burr Arch The Burr Arch Truss—or, simply, Burr Truss or Burr Arch—is a combination of an arch and a ''multiple kingpost'' truss design. It was invented in 1804 by Theodore Burr, patented on April 3, 1817, and used in bridges, usually covered bridge ...

Truss

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

structure that was built by D. M. Brown in 1907. ''Note:'' This includes
Site map
and Accompanying photographs. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1978.

History

The bridge crosses Mill Creek near land that was owned by Thornton Thompson. Though Thompson's Ford was probably named after Joseph Thompson who built a small mill nearby in 1829. It's also been suggested that Earl Ray Covered Bridge comes from a prominent nearby citizen and well known auctioneer. The name Tow Path Covered Bridge comes from the fact that Tow Path Road crosses the bridge. The

Wabash and Erie Canal The Wabash and Erie Canal was a shipping canal that linked the Great Lakes to the Ohio River via an artificial waterway. The canal provided traders with access from the Great Lakes all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Over 460 miles long, it was th ...

crossed Mill creek just to the south of where the bridge is built. The

towpath A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mode of transport ...

for the canal was later turned into a road, south of the bridge where the canal ran parallel to the current road, when the canal was discontinued. The actual towpath wasn't near the bridge however. The canal had been out of use for many years by the time the bridge was built but an aqueduct that crossed the creek was occasionally used as a bridge after the canal was drained. Joseph J. Daniels had sent in a bid for the bridge on May 18, 1899, for $1,485 for the superstructure or $2,520 including the abutments. D.M. Brown was awarded the contract so apparently his bid was for less. However, Mr. Brown had so much trouble getting the bridge started that he had to hire William Hendricks, who had more experience, for the direct construction.

Gallery

Image:millcreekcoveredbridge.jpg , Mill Creek Bridge Circa 1990

References

{{NRHP bridges Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Parke County, Indiana Bridges completed in 1907 Wooden bridges in Indiana Burr Truss bridges in the United States

History

Gallery

See also

References