Billie Creek Village
Parke County has long been famous for its covered bridges, but in the mid 1960s some residents felt that there was a need for something more to bring in the tourists. Since the existing visitors were coming to see historic bridges, they decided that an historical village would be a fitting added attraction. A plot of land was obtained on which stood the Billie Creek Covered Bridge, and the village was named after the bridge. It opened in 1969 with just a handful of authentic buildings. The 1906 Beeson Covered Bridge, which had had been closed to traffic and suffered two arson attempts, was moved to the village in 1980 to form its entrance. By 2010, when we visited, it had grown to 38 authentic buildings that recreated a typical turn of the century village and farming community. Sadly, in 2012 the village was been closed and put up for sale. At an auction in October 2012 it did not sell, and apparently it is still for sale. We understand that the village is sometimes open at weekends to view the exterior of the buildings only.
General Store
When we visited the village was still operating normally. We had a light lunch in the General Store before exploring the village. The horses visible in the picture were pulling a wagon to take visitors to the Farmhouse, which is situated away from the village. Having spend much of the day in a car driving round some of the covered bridges, we chose to walk.
Main Street
The closure of Billie Creek Village means that we have very little information on the buildings. From the limited information available we can say that the building on the extreme right is the ‘village bank’, a building that actually started life as a Post Office.
Back porch of Farmhouse
Here we were able to walk through a typical turn of the century Indiana Farmhouse. Click Tab 2 to see the Hired Man's Room in the Farmhouse
Governor Wright Home
The home of Joseph Wright, the tenth Governor of Indiana has been preserved at the village.
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Billie Creek Covered Bridge
The bridge that gave the village its name is a single span Burr Arch Truss bridge built in 1895 by Joseph J. Daniels. It has a span of nearly 19 metres (62 feeet) and is named after the nickname of the creek that it spans. Click Tab 2 to see a diagram of a Burr Arch Truss.
Schoolhouse
This one room schoolhouse dates back to 1913.
© Mike Elsden 1981 - 2023
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