Bean Blossom Covered Bridge – Brown County – Indiana
Google Maps | Purchase Print
Covered bridges are timber-truss bridges consisting of a roof, decking, and siding and are often painted red, or white. More than 14,000 covered bridges were built in the United States, mostly between the years 1825-1875. Many have since been replaced with more robust steel bridges that can handle heavier vehicles and more traffic, and last longer with less upkeep. Today, roughly 750 remain in the United States, mostly in rural areas of the Eastern US. Good places to spot them include; Indiana (98), Ohio (54), and Pennsylvania (219).
Brown County has at least two covered bridges, the other one being the two lane Ramp Creek Covered Bridge at the northern entrance to Brown County State Park. The park is the state’s largest, and covers more than 15,000 acres. Its particularly popular in the fall when the leaves change color in October.
The towns Nashville, Story and Gnaw Bone are worth checking out if you are in the area. Nashville is popular with artists, shoppers, and tourists wanting to get out in the woods for a weekend. Story, a small hamlet tucked away at the southern end of the park, is known for its history, and famous inn. As for Gnaw Bone, well I just find the rumors of its origins kind of funny. Supposedly the town derives its name from the French city of “Narbonne”. And for the English settlers who migrated to the area after the French first visited the region, Gnaw Bone was how the original name sounded to them, and it stuck. How true it is, I have no idea. But I have come across other examples of French-named cities in Indiana and Kentucky whose pronunciation has been anglicized. Such as Vincennes, IN, and Versailles, KY.
