Thorpe Ford Covered Bridge

The Thorpe Ford Covered Bridge was built in 1912 by Joseph A. Britton, spanning Big Raccoon Creek on the Rosedale-Rockville Road about a mile northwest of Rosedale. Named for the Thorpe family, prominent local landowners, and the ford that preceded it, the bridge once carried travelers along a stretch of the historic route linking Terre Haute and Crawfordsville that locals dubbed the "Ben Hur Highway," and tradition holds that circus elephants were even walked across it en route to winter quarters in Peru, Indiana. The single-span Burr Arch Truss structure was paved and maintained by the Works Progress Administration during the 1930s as part of Depression-era public works. By 1960 the aging bridge could no longer safely handle modern traffic loads and was condemned; the road was rerouted around it in 1961, and it has carried no vehicle traffic since. Still, the 181-foot bridge remains structurally intact and accessible, a well-preserved example of Britton's craftsmanship. 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 popular photography stop for visitors touring Florida Township's back roads.