Williams Bridge

376-foot double-span covered bridge of 1884 over the White River

Address Covered Bridge Rd, Williams, IN 47470

The Williams Bridge spans the East Fork of the White River just south of Williams Dam, a remarkable 376 feet of 19th-century timber engineering still standing — though no longer in use — beside the modern road bridge that replaced it. Two long Howe-truss spans meet on a central stone pier set in the middle of the river. The structure is roofed and weatherboarded in the classic American style, and inside the dim wooden interior smells of old creosote and river damp.

It is on the National Register of Historic Places and the surrounding small park is open to pedestrians. The view from the modern bridge across to the covered span — particularly in autumn when the surrounding hardwoods turn — is one of the great photo opportunities in southern Indiana.

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A story
At 376 feet (115 m), the Williams Bridge is the second longest covered bridge in Indiana and one of the few surviving double-span Howe-truss bridges in the United States. It was built in 1884 by the J.J. Daniels firm of Rockville for $18,142.59 — the contractor's name is still legible on a beam inside. The bridge carried traffic until a steel-and-concrete replacement opened alongside it in 1992.