Melcher Covered Bridge

The Melcher Covered Bridge, also known in various historical records as the Klondyke, Marion, or Leatherwood Covered Bridge, was built in 1896 by J.J. Daniels, spanning Leatherwood Creek about a mile and a half east of Montezuma near the vanished community of Klondyke. The single-span Burr Arch Truss bridge takes its name from the nearby Melcher railroad station on the old Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railway, once a hub of local commerce. Over time its original hewn limestone and shale abutments began to crumble and were reinforced with poured concrete to keep the structure sound. Its portal originally carried the traditional Daniels arch, but later repairs modified its profile to more closely resemble the flatter Britton and Hendricks styles used on other Parke County bridges. Its portal lettering names the county commissioners, auditor, treasurer, and engineer who oversaw the crossing, along with a genteel warning still visible today to "cross this bridge at a walk." The bridge underwent a significant rebuild and restoration in 1977 to secure its long-term stability. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 22, 1978, as part of the countywide Multiple Property Submission, the Melcher Covered Bridge continues to serve local traffic in rural Reserve Township.