Bridges of Indiana's Counties - #11 - Fountain Co. - Cades Mill

Cade's Mill Covered Bridge - Indiana's oldest.
(dwm photo)

Cades Mill bridge opened in 1854 over Coal Creek.

Another bridge took its place in 1979, but the bridge remains.  A standing testimony to ingenuity and craftsmanship.

The old road is grass covered with two wheel ruts leading to the bridge entrance.

While the bridge is a ghost of its former self; it is heartening to see it on guard next to a modern replacement.

Coal Creek runs under the bridge.  10/29/2011 (dwm)

By leaving it in place, visitors get to understand how the bridge fits the countryside, moving people and goods over water.

I liked getting to explore the upstream river bank to settle in behind the trees and grass where kids may have hid, listening to horse hooves and wagon wheels cross the bridge deck.

While it is truly exciting to see a faithfully restored and refurbished bridge able to handle traffic; the next best are the gracefully aging.

Fountain County
Internet image

Bridge Facts:

Cades Mill
Built:  1854
Style:  Howe Truss
Length: 150 feet over Coal Creek

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