A History of Shieldstown Covered Bridge

A History of Shieldstown Covered Bridge. . Shieldstown Covered Bridge was built in 1876 and named for the family-owned mill in the immediately adjacent village of Shields. , It cost $13,600 and is an example of early 19th century wooden truss technology. It is a rare variant of the Burr Arch Truss. , The Hamilton Township Bridge Company hired master bridge maker J.J. Daniels to plan and build it, which opened up the area for transportation across the East Fork White River and for crops to be milled and transported. , The surrounding area included a mill, school, church, businesses and camps. , A $1,063,837.65 restoration project started in 2015 and was completed in October 2019. , [Box, lower left corner] J.J. Daniels was the son of bridge builder Stephen Daniels and built many bridges in Indiana, including the Shieldstown Covered Bridge, Medora Covered Bridge and Ewing Bridge in Jackson County. Historians have been able to determine Daniels built 53 bridges throughout his lifetime, although others believe he built even more than that. Seventeen still stand today. Daniels was considered an innovative bridge builder and experimented with new ideas often. Daniels' legacy in Jackson County lives through the restoration and preservation of the Shieldstown and Medora covered bridges that still stand today. , [At a glance box, lower right corner] , . Built in 1876 , . 331 feet long , . 16 feet wide , . 12-foot overhang , . Built by J.J. Daniels , . Burr Arch Truss system , . Two-span wooden bridge , . Stone abutments and pier , . Closed to traffic in 1970 , [Captions] , . The Wacker Building, a building that housed a business in the area. , . Bridge during restoration. Photo by Forrest Willey.