Jackson Covered Bridge

The Jackson Covered Bridge, also known as the Rockport Covered Bridge for the now-vanished mill town where it stands, was built in 1861 under contract with William D. Daniels and constructed by his relative, the legendary builder J.J. Daniels, making it the oldest of Daniels's covered bridges still standing in Parke County. Erected at the height of political tension at the outbreak of the Civil War, Daniels named the bridge for Andrew Jackson and had its portal lettered with Jackson's famous toast to the Union, "The Federal Union: It must be preserved," a rare overtly political statement on a public work of its era. At 207 feet, it remains the longest single-span covered bridge in the state of Indiana, a single-span double Burr Arch Truss structure resting on a hewn stone foundation. It is also the only Parke County bridge built by Daniels to feature an inscribed cornerstone, reading "Builder J.J. Daniels 1861," set into its south abutment. The bridge crosses Sugar Creek at the site of the old Wright's Mill settlement, once a hub of flatboat trade bound for New Orleans markets. It underwent a major $75,000 restoration in 1977 following decades of flood damage and general wear. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 22, 1978, the Jackson Covered Bridge continues to carry vehicle traffic today.