Phillips Bridge
Built in 1909 by Joseph A.
Britton
Location: Located 5 miles west of Rockville, south of US
36, and 1 1/2 mile southwest of Coloma.
Size: The length of this bridge is 43' +9' +9'. The width
is 16' and has 14' of clearance. It has Multiple king posts (no
arch) 1 span truss and the foundation is concrete.
Repair/Restoration History: Re-roofed, resided, and repainted in
1991 for $7,000.
Bridge History: Also known as "Arabia Bridge"
Little Arabia was an area on top of the hill bordered by Big
Pond, Leatherwood, and Big Raccoon Creeks. The name may have come
from Syrian Moslem immigrants who settled nearby or as a term of
derision for residents who were thought of as little more than
cattle thieves.
The Arabia Church was built on the hill above the covered
bridge. The adjacent Arabia Cemetery remains but the church is now
only a step, foundation, and shards of stained glass. Many of the
headstones are inscribed "Phillips", indicating that the Philips
family were prominent residents near the bridge.
The Phillips Bridge shared its heritage with the Weisner Bridge,
also built by my wife's great-great grandfather, J. A. Britton, in
the previous year. Both bridges had a four segment King Post truss
(Burr Arch without an arch). The Weisner Bridge was the shortest
county owned bridge until it was washed away in 1957. Now, the
Phillips Covered Bridge is the shortest Parke County Covered
Bridge.
The west, downstream truss has been reinforced with an iron
beam, but the Phillips Bridge is still in use.
The cache is a 50 caliber ammo box. Please hide it as well or
better than you found it. There is a Sacagawea dollar in the cache
for the first one to find.