Bridgeton Covered Bridge

[+Team BubbyMac]

IT IS A SAD MORNING HERE IN PARKE COUNTY ONE OF OUR BELOVED COVERED BRIDGES WAS SET ABLAZE THIS EARLY THIS MORNING. ON A GOOD NOTE THE CACHE THAT WAS AT THIS HAS HAS BEEN GONE FOR SOME TIME NOW. BRIDGETON COVERED BRIDGE. THIS WILL HAVE BEEN THE 2ND BRIDGE BURNING IN THE LAST 3 YEARS Edited April 28, 2005 by Team BubbyMac

[+Robespierre]

sad, sad world. News link?

[gridlox]

That does Suck!

 

I love those old wooden covered bridges & they are gettng harder and harder to find anymore without idiots setting them ablaze!

 

D-man

[+pghlooking]

ON A GOOD NOTE THE CACHE THAT WAS AT THIS HAS HAS BEEN GONE FOR SOME TIME NOW.

2 people just logged finds on it on Sunday.

 

Its a shame that people have to burn stuff like that down just for fun. Hopefully the county will at least rebuild it.

[+Team BubbyMac]

news release here is the news release

[+Marcie/Eric]

Why ARE people setting them ablaze everywhere? I remember reading after Bridges of Madison Cty came out, there were tons of arsons.. both successful and not.

 

Idiots is right.

Edited April 28, 2005 by Marcie/Eric

[+Team BubbyMac]

they might have logged finds but there is nothing there i have tried. it was about 300-400 feet from the bridge anyway.

[+Anonymous']

That sucks.

[+briansnat]

If it was in SC they'd blame it on geocachers.

[+welch]

If it was in SC they'd blame it on geocachers.

Maybe some SC cachers were traveling?

[+Team BubbyMac]

good news to report the Parke County Sheriff's Department has a person of interested in custody. bridge updateIt has been a hectic day at the department but it will all be worth it in the end.

[+W7WT]

What a shame, As a young Naval Aviation Cadet at Navy Flight Prep School in Greencastle I saw my first covered bridge in that area. This was over 60 years ago. I love covered bridges. Finding a cache nearby would be a bonus. Dick,W7WT

Edited April 29, 2005 by W7WT

[+sept1c_tank]

Since childhood, I've visited Bridgeton many times.

 

This is outrageous. Any idiot who would do something like this deserves to be burnt at the stake.

[+Shilo]

Oh what a shame. I use to live (& grew up) near Greencastle and been to this bridge many times especially during the covered bridge festival. My mother had a booth at Mansfield which if I remember is nearby..

Shilo -- Hiram, Ga

[Azaruk]

I live a heck of a long way away from USA, but one of my dreams, as a photographer, has been to do a trip to photograph your beautiful contry and make an effort to make a few pics of the covered bridges.

 

These, as far as I know, are unique to America, part of the heritage of the country and a fine example of the craftsmanship prevalent in the time when these amazing structures were built.

 

That someone could even think about burning one down, let alone actually doing the deed, is completely and utterly beyond me.

 

I sincerely hope that the perpertrators are apprehended, that they get very heavily fined, spend a good amount of time in jail and have to contribute heavily (financially or physically) in rebuilding the bridge.

[+We'veLostOurMap]

We live in Vigo county (next to Parke Co.) and woke up to this news. About 2-3 years ago ( I think) another bridge right outside of Bridgeton was burned down as well. It makes me sick to think that people get a kick out of watching something this old and full of history burn to the ground (or creek in this instance). Just think about who all has crossed that bridge over the last 100 years or so? You can't get that history back. I know they are going to hold a meeting about rebuilding the bridge, but it will never be the same.

 

BTW- the guy the have as a person of interest was found under another Covered Bridge in Mansfield, not to far from Bridgeton. They haven't charged him yet, but if he is the one who set the fire, then I bet he was going to burn down the Mansfield one as well!

[+Team Cotati]

Read the story. Doesn't appear to be a geocacher at this point. I'll continue monitoring and provide an update if this status changes. If this were to eventually turn out to be a cacher, the game is toast. That would be very very sad.

 

In the meantime let's get those checkbooks open, k?

 

"The owner of the Bridgeton Mill, which sits right next to the bridge, tells us he's had hundreds of people asking how they can help.

 

"There's just so much interest. We've gotten calls from New York, from Florida, from all over. You know, it's just touched a lot of people," says Mike Roe, Owner of the Bridgeton Mill.

 

There are several ways you can help out.

 

You can donate money at any Old National or First Financial Bank branch in care of the Bridgeton Covered Bridge Association.

 

And next Thursday, Action 10 News will hold a "Building a Bridge Day".

 

All day, we will accept bridge rebuilding donations in front our our studios at 918 Ohio Street and in front the Old National Bank branch in Rockville.

 

We'll accept donations here in Terre Haute from 5:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.

 

Please help us build a bridge by chipping in a few dollars."

Edited April 30, 2005 by Team cotati697

[+Team GPSaxophone]

Shouldn't this be in off topic? Sure, the OP mentions a cache nearby, but the topic isn't really about the cache now is it?

[+sept1c_tank]

Shouldn't this be in off topic? Sure, the OP mentions a cache nearby, but the topic isn't really about the cache now is it?

In your own words:

Discussing whether something is on topic or not in a thread is poor form, and off topic to the thread. If you don't like a thread, report it or ignore it.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

Shouldn't this be in off topic? Sure, the OP mentions a cache nearby, but the topic isn't really about the cache now is it?

In your own words:

Discussing whether something is on topic or not in a thread is poor form, and off topic to the thread. If you don't like a thread, report it or ignore it.

Ok, so it just doesn't apply in my threads then? Got it

[+mtn-man]

Take it to email. I'm starting to get cranky.

[umc]

Take it to email. I'm starting to get cranky.

no kidding, enough is enough of this crap already!!!

[+Team BubbyMac]

just an update today Jesse Payne of Terre Haute was formally charged with the arson of the Bridgeton Covered Bridge and the attempted arson of the Mansfield Covered Bridge

[+Marcie/Eric]

Link us to a article!

[+Marcie/Eric]

Clicky

[+sept1c_tank]

I wonder if this is the same guy?

 

(Bachelor of Fine Arts, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 2001)

Edited May 12, 2005 by sept1c_tank

[+Muirwoody]

I wonder if this is the same guy?   

 

(Bachelor of Fine Arts, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 2001)

It doesn't look too much like the mug shot of this guy who was arrested.

 

Jesse Payne - arsonist, not artist

[+sept1c_tank]

Looks like him to me, but anyway, he's apparently not a geocacher, or we probably would have heard something by now.

[+TEAM D & D]

I saw on the news the other day they planned to rebuild it. I think they were looking for donations and having fundraisers. I saw it on the Indianapolis news. Not sure what channel.

[+Team BubbyMac]

yes they are going to rebuild the bridge. IN ject over 2 weeks of collecting money they have raised@ $23,000. Bridgeton is have a bean dinner saturday for the efforts it starts at 11am and runs till the beans are all gone. One of the people that is one the rebuild the bridge committee works for me. I will keep anyone posted if they are interested. Also that is not the same jesse payne as the website hed has spent the last couple of years in the Indiana department of corrections. That place is alot like Indiana State University but cheaper. (I can say that i graduated from ISU in 98 B.S. criminology)