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Less than an hour’s drive from Indianapolis, Putnam County is the perfect place to visit for a leisurely drive in the country, or a longer stay at an inn or bed and breakfast. US 40 crosses the northern part of the country. With nine covered bridges, Putnam County is known as “Covered Bridge Country”. Interstate travelers can exit I-70 at Cloverdale and pick up free maps to covered bridges at the Visitors Center, or call ahead for a map. Using the covered bridge map provides the perfect way to explore the county, as these will guide you through the beautiful backroads and countryside. Besides covered bridges, Putnam County offers fine dining, country inns, and historical sites. Covered Bridge Country SouthernIN.com visited five of the nine Putnam County Covered Bridges. Most of these bridges were built in the early 1900’s, and were covered to protect them from the elements. The roads to the bridges are well-marked, with signs pointing you in the right direction. Each bridge has a plaque which explains its background.
The Edna Collins Bridge is the baby of all Indiana bridges, 80’ long. It is said to be haunted. This burr arch bridge is over Little Walnut Creek.
Greencastle The county seat of Putnam County is Greencastle, which is north of US 40. With DePauw University and the nationally recognized Walden Inn, this town offers visitors the comforts of a small town as well as experiences such as fine dining, shopping and bed and breakfasts. The square in Greencastle has several points of interest. The bank on the southwest corner was once robbed by gangster John Dillinger, and Eli Lilly’s first pharmaceutical store was on Greencastle’s square.
Putnam County has something to offer everyone. The Walden Inn, with 55 guest rooms and suites and a fine restaurant has been featured in Midwest Living Magazine Best Vacations issue. Almost Home Tearoom has also been recognized in this national magazine. Nearby, Brackney’s is a tack and saddle store where saddles are hand crafted from scratch, and visitors are welcome to watch. Before continuing the US 40 National Scenic Byway tour, we will leave you with the fascinating true story of Pearl Bryan. It goes like this. In 1896 a Kentucky boy found the headless body of a woman in a field. After an investigation, it was discovered that the woman was Pearl Bryan, the daughter of a wealthy Greencastle farmer. The body was returned to Greencastle, where it was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery, but her head was never found. The headstone has been the victim of vandals, and is said to be buried somewhere in the cemetery. All that remains to mark the grave is the base on which the headstone stood. For years, pennies have been found, heads up, on the concrete base. The cemetery caretakers remove the coins when they see them, but more pennies always reappear. A caretaker says they have no idea who puts them there, “but its been going on for years! We take them away and put them in the coffee fund, but whenever we go back there are more.” The day SouthernIN.com visited Putnam County, we saw the famous Pearl Bryan grave as pictured here.
Pennies mysteriously appear, heads up on the grave of Pearl Bryan For more information on Putnam County, Covered Bridge County, call 800-829-4639 or visit www.coveredbridecountry.com. |
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All Feature Articles, artwork and photographs ©2000 by Southernin.com. Some information on the 'County Info' pages is taken directly from brochures published by Visitors Bureaus and Chambers of Commerce.
The Dick Huffman Bridge in the southernmost part of the county is the longest, being 265’ long plus a four foot overhang at each end. This Howe Truss bridge was built in 1880 by an unknown builder. This bridge was once known as the Webster Bridge, for the nearby Webster Mill.
The Houck Bridge is a Howe Truss Bridge built in 1880 by the Massillon Bridge Company. This two-span bridge is 210’ long, 15’ high and 16’ wide, with a shingle roof. It sits on stone pillars. It has also been referred to as the Hamrick Bridge, after the proposed relocation of the Pennsylvania Railroad and Hamrick Station.
The Oakalla Bridge was built in 1898 by J.J. Daniels, and is 152’ long with a 15’ overhang at each end. Shown here is the bridge sitting on cut stone abutments. The name of the bridge is derived from the former Oakalla Station on the old Big Four Railroad. Just south of the Oakalla Bridge one can see the abandoned railbed of the interurban railway, which connected towns from Toledo, Ohio to Terre Haute, Indiana.
The Dunbar Bridge was built in 1880 by the local farmers of the area using timber which was cut on the Dunbar farm. This Burr Arch, two-span bridge is 174’ long, 16’ wide and 13’6” high and stands on cut stone abutments and a pier and has a shingle roof.
On the courthouse lawn is the Buzz Bomb Memorial to World War II Veterans. This actual German V-1 Buzz Bomb is one of only two in the United States, the other being in the Smithsonian Institute. It sits perched on a limestone “V” on the southwest corner of the lawn. When the dedication service of the Memorial in 1948 attracted the largest crowd to ever assemble in Greencastle. Since that time it has been repaired and repainted several times.
