The Sanitorium Covered Bridge is a bridged located east of
Rockville, Indiana
Rockville is a town in Adams Township, Parke County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,607 at the 2010 census. The town is the county seat of Parke County. It is known as "The Covered Bridge Capital of the World".
History
Rockv ...
. The single-span
Burr Arch covered bridge structure was built by Joseph A. Britton in 1913.
[ ''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
On March 8, 1907 the 65th Indiana General Assembly approved funding to establish and fund a State Tuberculosis Hospital or Sanitorium. By 1908 the State had appropriated land east of
Rockville for the use of the State Tuberculosis Hospital.
The Sanitorium was soon up and running in 1910.
Originally built on the property of the State Sanitorium, located a mile or so downstream () from its current site, for hauling coal to the Sanitorium. The Sanitorium used coal, mined only a couple of miles away near
Nyesville,
for both heat and for its powerplant. This coal would have been hauled to Rockville and then east across the Plank Road Bridge to the Sanitorium before the bridge being built. The Plank Road Bridge was washed out in the flood of 1913 and was replaced with the Howard Bridge, also built by Britton the same year.
Being on private property after the State sold the Sanitorium the bridge fell into disrepair. On July 30, 2008 the $1.34 million project to move the bridge to the former site of the
Adams Covered Bridge
Adams Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge in Morgan County, Ohio spanning San Toy Creek near Malta, Ohio, Malta. The bridge was built in 1875 using a "multiple kingpost truss" design. It is no longer used for traffic. It has also bee ...
was started. The Adams Bridge had been located about a mile upstream and had been built in 1907 by J.P. Van Fossen. In 1969 the bridge was destroyed by a flood where it washed downstream and under the Sanitorium Bridge. During February 3–11, 1970, the
Jessup Covered Bridge was moved to replace it. Again in 1989 flood waters would wash this bridge downstream and under the Sanitorium Bridge and over the
U.S. 36 bridge. By December 29, 2008 the bridge was open to traffic.
See also
*
List of Registered Historic Places in Indiana
*
Parke County Covered Bridges The covered bridges of Parke County are well-known tourist attractions in Parke County, Indiana, United States, which touts itself as the "Covered Bridge Capital of the World". The county claims to have more covered bridges than any other county in ...
*
Parke County Covered Bridge Festival
References
{{NRHP bridges
Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Parke County, Indiana
Bridges completed in 1912
1912 establishments in Indiana
Relocated buildings and structures in Indiana
Wooden bridges in Indiana
Burr Truss bridges in the United States