PORTLAND MILLS/DOOLEY STATION COVERED BRIDGE - WAVELAND, INDIANA

                                                                                                LITTLE RACCOON CREEK
                                                                                                         PARKE COUNTY
                                                                                                             BUILT - 1856

Length - 144'..... 2.5 miles SW of Waveland. South on Ind SR-50 1.5 miles to R. County Rd 650N, bridge approx, 2 miles west. Originally built over Big Raccoon Creek at the village of Portland Mills, this bridge was scheduled for demolition in 1961 with the formation of Cecil M. Harden Lake. The bridge was spared this fate when it was decided to move it to the site of the Dooley Station Covered Bridge that had been destroyed by arson the previous year. Unfortunately the secluded location and lack of maintenance contributed to the bridge falling into disrepair. After being closed to traffic in 1982, and then surviving an arson attempt, plans were still made to restore the bridge after the fire. Although one of the portals collapsed, the truss members remained intact and the bridge was restored in 1996. Added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 22, 1978. Open to through traffic. Truss Type - Covered Single Span Burr Arch.
World Guide to Covered Bridge Number - 14-61-21