Medora Bridge
Jackson County, Carr Township, near Medora. Built 1875, 434 ft. long, three-span Burr Arch bridge by J.J. Daniels — the longest covered bridge in Indiana.
Built in 1875 by master bridgewright Joseph J. (J.J.) Daniels for about $18,142, the Medora Bridge carries a three-span Burr Arch truss across the East Fork White River in Carr Township, just east of Medora. At 434 feet long, it is Indiana's longest covered bridge and is widely cited as the longest historic covered bridge in the United States still standing with its original truss intact on its original site. It carried U.S. Route 50 traffic until 1935 and general vehicle traffic until a parallel modern bridge opened in 1973; a planned 1968 demolition was averted through state intervention that preserved the span for future restoration. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 19, 2007, the bridge underwent a roughly $1.3 million rehabilitation completed in 2011, repairing siding, shingles, rafters, and flooring while preserving its historic truss members. Today it is closed to vehicles but open to pedestrians, and remains a signature landmark of Jackson County and of Indiana's covered bridge heritage.
