Bridges of Indiana's Counties - #48 Parke Co - Rush Creek (14/31)

The road thru the Rush Creek Bridge.  4/17/2010  (dwm)

The Rush Creek Covered Bridge seems to be the last attraction in Tangier, Indiana.

It was built in 1904 as the community was growing.  The population was home to 300 folks in 1913 and 1927.  It shrunk by two-thirds by 1990.

That is when the United States Post Office closed.  The last in a long line of closings in the community's history.

A grain warehouse started things in 1855, which lead to a railroad.  The railroad closed in 1941 and sold for scrap two years later.

Rush Creek gave the bridge its
name.    dwm photo

Tangier was home to three doctors and three grocery stores. Three churches, two blacksmiths, and a millinery shop.

As the clay and coal mines dried up, so did the town.

The bridge stands taller now after it was rebuilt 41 years ago.

The best part of the Rush Creek Bridge is the creek and the slopping bank that let me get down to the water.

It is one of my favorite shots, kneeling on the bank of the stream looking through the lens toward a tangible piece of history.

In this case, a tangible piece of Tangier's history.


Rush Creek Covered Bridge

Built:   1904, the first of three built by William Hendricks

Style:   Burr Arch

Length:  77 feet over Rush Creek

 You can see more covered bridges here.