Medora Covered Bridge

The Medora Covered Bridge is a historic structure that once carried Indiana State Road 235 over the East Fork White River in Medora, Indiana.

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The Medora Covered Bridge is a historic structure that once carried Indiana State Road 235 over the East Fork White River in Medora, Indiana. It is the longest surviving covered bridge in the United States. ¹

History

Residents of Carr and Driftwood townships proposed building a bridge across the East Fork White River to replace a ferry as early as 1870 but lacked the financial means to fund a privately constructed crossing. ¹

A construction contract was awarded to Joseph J. Daniels on November 2, 1874. ¹ Materials for the bridge’s approaches and abutments were delivered to the site in preparation for construction the following spring. The bridge was scheduled for completion by September 1, 1875.

On July 15, 1875, the Jackson County Commissioners approved the newly constructed Medora Covered Bridge, which was built using the Burr arch and multiple kingpost truss design. ¹ Completed at the cost of $18,142, the triple-span bridge rests on concrete abutments and two piers, featuring board-and-batten siding and a metal roof.

The bridge was constructed without laminated arch components, using some ironwork for lateral stability and to connect the arch to the multiple kingpost trusses. ¹ Daniels laid the floor planks longitudinally rather than crosswise, reducing wear from horseshoes and making the surface quieter and smoother.

The Medora Covered Bridge became the first free bridge across the White River in Jackson County. ¹ The county had purchased four toll bridges across the river the previous year. Although county bridges over other waterways existed since 1817, financial constraints often required citizens to form private bridge companies. In 1870, only 27 residents of Carr Township paid taxes, insufficient to generate revenue for a 460-foot bridge. In 1874, the Indiana State Legislature revised bridge laws, making county governments responsible for bridge construction, a responsibility previously held by local townships.

Joseph J. Daniels, a native of Parke County, was a prominent bridge builder. ¹ His father, Stephen Daniels, Sr., a carpenter from New York, relocated to Marietta, Ohio, around 1820 to pursue bridge carpentry for highways and railroads. He became an agent for the Long truss design patented by Stephen H. Long. Following their father’s death, Joseph and his brothers Stephen and William D. Daniels pursued careers in bridge construction in Indiana.

Joseph built several Long truss bridges in Ohio before constructing his first Long truss bridge in Indiana for the Rising Sun & Aurora Turnpike in 1850. ¹ By the time of his father’s death, Joseph was building a multi-span Burr arch bridge over the White River at Hazelton, Indiana, for the Evansville and Crawfordsville Railroad. He moved to Rockville, Indiana, in 1861 and continued building bridges until 1904.

The Burr arch truss was invented by Connecticut-based engineer Theodore Burr (1771-1822), who patented the design on April 4, 1817. ¹ The system combines a supportive arch with kingpost trusses to provide added strength and stability.

In 1917, the Indiana Highway Commission designated a roadway from Evansville to Aurora, including the Medora Covered Bridge, as Market Route 4. ¹ Carr and Driftwood Township trustees maintained the bridge until the commission assumed responsibility for Market Route 4 on April 1, 1920.

In 1926, the bridge became part of US Route 50. ¹ In the same year, it received federal assistance for refurbishment in the amount of $5,000 distributed from the Indiana Department of Highways. After US Route 50 was rerouted upriver in 1935, the bridge then became part of Indiana State Road 235. ²

Preservation

In 1968, the bridge was scheduled for demolition when the new modern parallel bridge was to be opened, but it was saved by an order from then-Governor Whitcomb in 1971. ^{1 3}

One of the last crossings of the old bridge involved a 70-ton load of steel, leading to the driver’s dismissal from his job. ¹ The new parallel bridge opened in 1973, at which time the covered bridge was closed to vehicular traffic. ⁴

On September 24, 1975, the Indiana State Highway Commission notified Jackson County that it was prepared to transfer control of the Medora Covered Bridge to the county. ¹ The county approved the transfer and placed the bridge under the management of the Jackson County Park & Recreation Board.

In 1976, the Park & Recreation Board modified the bridge’s portals. ¹ Further maintenance occurred in 1979 and again in 1983, when the roof, siding, and paint on the bridge’s south side were refreshed. Additional support was placed beneath the lower chord of the southeast span in that year, but it was later washed away. In 2007, a gabled, galvanized sheet metal roof was installed, replacing the previous shake shingle roof.

Despite these efforts, the bridge remained in poor to fair condition. ¹ A major issue with the substructure was the shifting of quarried limestone due to the deterioration of Louisville Cement and sand mortar, causing arch failure at the abutments. The lower chord timbers moved away from the abutment supports, weakening the westernmost span. Additionally, two arches on the downriver side were broken at each end of the bridge. Some lateral bracing of the lower chord on the east span and about one-quarter of the bracing at the easternmost pier were missing.

Dry rot affected the upper chord of the downriver truss. ¹ Eight arches were also failing due to the structural load on the trusses.

More recently, the bridge received a National Historic Covered Bridge grant of $69,600 to fund engineering work for its rehabilitation. ¹ The Park & Recreation Board also secured a $500,000 federal Transportation Enhancement Grant for the project. Due to the bridge’s emergency structural failure, the county borrowed $100,000 to provide a local match for emergency stabilization repairs, which would also count toward the required local match for the Transportation Enhancement Grant.

In June 2011, the Medora Covered Bridge was fully rehabilitated by Square and Level Construction of Bridgeton at the cost of $1.3 million. ^{5 6} The original truss system was repaired, cedar shake shingles replaced the metal roof, and new siding, pylons, rafters, and flooring were installed. Seven original siding boards with square nail holes were reinstalled on the north side at the far west end.

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Gallery

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Details

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Sources

1. Arthur, Fleeta, and J. A. Barker Engineering. “Medora Covered Bridge.” National Park Service, 1 May 2006.
2. Boley, Edwin J. First Documented History of Jackson County, Indiana, 1816–1976. Vol. 2, p. 337.
3. Hill, Herbert R., ed. Outdoor Indiana Magazine, Sept. 1971, p. 23.
4. Seymour Daily Tribune, 13 Oct. 1973, p. 1.
5. Indiana Department Of Transportation, Bridge Plans, Project No. 0101359, Medora Covered Bridge.
6. Woods, Aubrey. “Covered bridge project winding down.” The Tribune, 29 Mar. 2018.