Putnam County officials recently allocated funds to address repairs at some of the county’s covered bridges, including Cornstalk Covered Bridge.
Indiana Landmarks partnered with local groups to nominate Putnam County’s nine covered bridges to the National Register of Historic Places.
Though Indiana’s Parke County proclaims itself the “Covered Bridge Capital of the World,” nearby Putnam County proudly holds runner-up status with nine covered bridges carrying traffic over the area’s waterways.
The picturesque spans are beloved and admired for their heritage and character-defining features, but their path to official recognition remained elusive until Indiana Landmarks partnered with two local groups to nominate all nine covered bridges to the National Register of Historic Places.
In early 2023, Phil Gick, Putnam County Council member and then-president of the Heritage Preservation Society of Putnam County (HPS), sought assistance from Indiana Landmarks and the Putnam Parks & Pathways organization to nominate the county’s covered bridges to the National Register of Historic Places. In May, the National Park Service approved the nominations prepared by consultant Kurt Garner, adding all nine spans to the National Register: Cornstalk Bridge east of Raccoon, Pine Bluff Bridge near Carpentersville, Rolling Stone Bridge and Baker’s Camp Bridge in the Bainbridge vicinity, Edna Collins Bridge near Clinton Falls, Dunbar Bridge and Oakalla Bridge near Greencastle, Houck Bridge outside Manhattan, and Dick Huffman Bridge south of Reelsville.
Putnam County officials recently allocated funds to address repairs at some of the county’s covered bridges, including Cornstalk Covered Bridge near Raccoon.
Constructed between 1880 and 1922, all but two of the covered bridges span Big Walnut Creek, providing an important avenue for transportation across the county’s main waterway. Not surprisingly, more than a century after their construction several of the bridges face critical rehabilitation needs. Putnam County Council recently allocated $200,000 to address the most urgent repairs, but listing in the National Register qualifies the spans for additional grant funding.
To learn more about Putnam County’s historic covered bridges, including ongoing efforts to preserve and rehabilitate them, contact Indiana Landmarks’ Western Regional Office, 812-232-4534, west@indianalandmarks.org.
Parkview hosts annual school spelling bee
GSH receives accreditation
Crawford County man charged with sex crimes
Voter registration underway in Lawrence County
DNR receives regional award for project on former mine land near Pleasantville
Unit #10 Board hosts project open house
County to assist in Sumner street improvements
BMV announces Christmas and New Year's Day holiday hours
Bridgeport boil order lifted
Gregg Park project to move forward
St. Francisville hires water engineer
Christy Fire District recipient of Heath grant
Lewis Manor fire in Lawrenceville
Lawrence Unit #20 adds personnel in special session
Lawrenceville City Council discuss new IEPA violations
Annual tax levy given approval for St. Francisville
Lawrenceville gets another EPA violation notice
Consumer Alert: Dozens of dangerous products recalled in November
