Adams Mill Covered Bridge
Carroll County, Democrat Township, near Cutler. Built 1872, 138 ft. long. Howe truss with later Burr arch reinforcement — the only Indiana bridge combining both truss systems; closed to cars, open to foot traffic.
Adams Mill Covered Bridge was built in 1872 by the Wheelock Bridge Company of Fort Wayne, agents for R.W. Smith & Co. of Toledo, as one of two bridges the Carroll County commissioners ordered over Wildcat Creek that year. It served the mill built in 1845 by early settler John Adams, whose mill building also housed a Masonic lodge and the Wild Cat post office, making the crossing a hub of rural activity. The bridge was constructed as a Howe truss, and around 1900 county commissioners had a full-length Burr arch bolted to the existing trusswork to let the span bear heavier grain loads — making it the only bridge in Indiana combining a Howe truss with a Burr arch. Closed to vehicles in 1974 after 102 years of service, the bridge suffered severe vandalism in 1978, prompting decades of fundraising by local preservation groups. A $686,000 restoration by Kaser-Spraker Construction, aided by grants secured by the Friends of Adams Mill Valley, reopened the bridge on October 9, 1999, with new window openings added so visitors could enjoy views of Wildcat Creek. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, Adams Mill Bridge today carries foot traffic and very light vehicle use only, one of just two surviving covered bridges in Carroll County.
