Mecca Covered Bridge

The Mecca Covered Bridge was built in 1873 by Joseph J. Daniels, who won the contract with a bid of $7,650, undercutting rival bids of $7,800 and $8,000. The single-span, 176-foot Burr Arch Truss bridge crosses Big Raccoon Creek at the town of Mecca, whose colorful name is said to derive either from a settlement of Syrian immigrants nicknamed "Little Arabia" or from a term once used for local outsiders, with townsfolk making joking "pilgrimages" across the river to trade. The bridge has proven remarkably resilient, surviving major floods in 1875, 1913, 1957, and 1990; in the latter two, floodwaters rose above the bridge's own floor deck, and in one flood two families reportedly sheltered inside the bridge itself, trusting in Daniels's sturdy construction. The town's Mecca Historical Society has long decorated the bridge for Christmas caroling and holds a sunrise service inside it each Easter. The bridge was bypassed for vehicle traffic in 1965 by a modern span nearby, and cable cradle repairs were funded in 1980. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 22, 1978, as part of the Parke County Covered Bridges Multiple Property Submission, and remains a cherished, if now pedestrian-only, community landmark.