Cornstalk Covered Bridge is a single-span Burr Arch Truss bridge over Cornstalk Creek.
The Cornstalk Covered Bridge was built by Joseph A. Britton in 1917 and gets its name from the creek it crosses. A single-span bridge, it’s 82’ long, 16’ wide, 14’ high, with an eight-foot overhang at each end, shingle roof and concrete abutments. Britton also constructed Putnam County’s Rolling Stone and Pine Bluff bridges.
Both the bridge and creek are named for Peter Cornstalk, Chief of the Eel River Tribe of Native Americans who once inhabited the area. The site known as Chief Cornstalk’s Village, “Snakefish,” is located 1.3 miles northeast of the bridge; an Indiana Historical Marker recognizing Chief Cornstalk is located in Parkersburg, approximately two miles northwest of the bridge.
Nine historic covered bridges make the Putnam County countryside both educational and relaxing. Uniquely beautiful in spring and fall, traveling the bridges is particularly fun for motorcycle and bike riders.