North Manchester Covered Bridge

Built in 1872. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

From the record

“North Manchester Covered Bridge is a historic Smith Type 4 Truss covered bridge located at North Manchester, Indiana. It was built in 1872 by the Smith Bridge Company of Toledo, Ohio and crosses the Eel River.”
Wikipedia article North Manchester Covered Bridge, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 33 National Register listings published here for Wabash County · listed in 1982 · category: Structure · built in 1872.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 structure as contributing to the listing.
Address. S. Mill St. at Eel River, North Manchester, 46962
When was it listed? September 1982
Category. structure
Township. Chester township
When was it built? 1872
National Register reference number. 82000051 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

1 since 2003

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of North Manchester Covered Bridge in 2003, burning about 1 acre in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Debris and open burning	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
29 April 2003	Debris and open burning	1.0 acres	Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office	not named

Every fire recorded in Wabash County

Storms near this property

46 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names North Manchester, the town this property stands in, in 46 storm reports between 1995 and 2026: 23 thunderstorm wind, 16 hail, 3 flood, 3 tornado. The reports record 3 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
June 2000	Tornado (F2)	North Manchester	3 hurt, $700,000	The tornado touched down again, hitting a farm at 1300 N and 100 W. A man suffered a broken leg here. Two hog sheds and a large grain bin were destroyed. A 200-yard swath of trees were uprooted to the northeast along the railroad tracks. Another man suffered back and chest injuries as the tornado continued to the intersection of 1300 N and Meridian Road and demolished the barn in which he stood. A 5th wheel camper was rolled 50 yards from its original position destroying it. The tornado continued to the next farm just south of 1400 N and 100 E. The barn was destroyed and the house suffered moderate damage, primarily from flying tree debris. The tornado snapped a utility pole, which fell on an 18-year-old boy, breaking his leg. Many trees and power lines were downed along the way. From here, the tornado continued until the Wabash/Kosciusko county line.
June 2000	Tornado (F1)	North Manchester	$100,000	The initial tornado touchdown occurred near the intersection of SR 15 and 114. Two barns were deroofed and a grain silo was partially blown down. Several trees and limbs were taken down. The tornado lifted briefly as it crossed SR 15. It then continued on the ground for one half mile before striking another farm just west of the intersection of SR 114 and 400 W. A barn roof was blown off, and several trees and power lines were taken down. Crop damage was noted in an adjacent field. The tornado then lifted until it touched down about 1 mile to the northeast.
July 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	$100,000	TREE FELL ON HOME AND DESTROYED PORCH. COAST TO COAST STORE LOST THEIR GREEN HOUSE AND SECURITY FENCE AS IT BECAME AIRBORNE IN THE HIGH WINDS.
January 2008	Flood	North Manchester	$75,000	County officials reported high water on some roadways both in the county and also in a few cities, including North Manchester and Roann. 2.7 inches of rain was observed near North Manchester. The Eastside Mobile Home Park next to the Eel river in North Manchester was evacuated as flood waters moved into the park and under trailers. Luckily, no water got into the trailers and residents were able to return home by Jan 11th. A rescue from a residence was needed in Roann to get 2 adults and a 5 month old child. No exact damage figures are available, but are estimated at $75,000, mainly for road repairs and some basement flooding.
June 2008	Lightning	North Manchester	$50,000	Lightning struck a house on State Route 13 in the city of North Manchester, causing extensive damage to the residence. No injuries were reported but damage is estimated at $50,000.
June 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	$50,000	Barn destroyed and windows blown out of a brick house.
May 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	$35,000	Video on Facebook shows power poles snapped on Sate Road 13. Also a report of a barn destroyed one-half mile away.
October 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	$15,000	Emergency management officials reported trees down in North Manchester, with some onto vehicles.
June 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	$2,000	Trees reported down in North Manchester.
May 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	$1,000	Mature oak tree lost part of its top.
May 2024	Hail	North Manchester	$1,000	no account filed
June 2023	Hail	North Manchester	$1,000	no account filed
June 2023	Hail	North Manchester	$1,000	no account filed
June 2023	Hail	North Manchester	$1,000	no account filed
May 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	$500	Large tree branches snapped in North Manchester.
June 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	$2	A barn was blown down just south of North Manchester. A 20-foot length of roof was blown off the water plant and and a farm wagon was blown over and destroyed in North Manchester. Trees and lines were reported down across the Northern part of the county.
March 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	-	The public reported a lean-to style airplane hangar and anchoring posts destroyed.
June 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	-	Numerous large tree branches down including one uprooted.
June 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	-	Tree fell on house. Time estimated by radar.
August 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	-	Emergency management officials reported large tree limbs were blown down in North Manchester.
September 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	-	The public shared photos on social media of a tree snapped at the base with some corn stalks blown over on State Route 114, West of North Manchester.
May 2019	Tornado (EF1)	North Manchester	-	A damage survey found intermittent tree damage noted along this damage path that was primarily through open fields. One property sustained roof damage to a barn and a small shed sustained significant damage. Trees were topped and a recreational vehicle was moved/turned about 6 inches.
May 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	-	The public reported multiple trees down in the area.
June 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	-	The public reported minor roof damage to a Dairy Queen on State Route 13, north of State Route 114.
July 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	-	Emergency management officials reported trees and power lines down throughout North Manchester. Locations included County Road 300 West at State Route 114, County Road 625 West near State Route 16 and along College Avenue.
June 2009	Hail	North Manchester	-	Emergency management officials reported quarter size hail.
February 2008	Flood	North Manchester	-	The local newspaper reported that 14 residences in the Eastside Trailer Court, in North Manchester, had to be evacuated due to rising waters from the Eel River. No damage was reported to any of the residences.
April 2006	Hail	North Manchester	-	Hail ranging from penny to nickel size was reported around North Manchester.
May 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	-	Minor wind damage.
June 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	-	Trees and power lines down.
August 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	-	Power lines down. 2 large trees down.
April 1999	Flood	North Manchester	-	State Road 13 was reported to be flooded south of North Manchester.
July 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	-	Trees blown down along CR 700 N.
July 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	-	TREES DOWN.
April 2026	Hail	North Manchester	-	no account filed
February 2026	Hail	North Manchester	-	no account filed
May 2005	Hail	North Manchester	-	no account filed
April 2003	Hail	North Manchester	-	no account filed
June 2002	Hail	North Manchester	-	no account filed
August 2001	Hail	North Manchester	-	no account filed
May 2000	Hail	North Manchester	-	no account filed
May 2000	Hail	North Manchester	-	no account filed
April 1999	Hail	North Manchester	-	no account filed
June 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	-	no account filed
May 1996	Hail	North Manchester	-	no account filed
October 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	North Manchester	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Wabash County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
Lentz House (Hotel Sheller)	0.4 miles	1982
North Manchester Historic District	0.4 miles	2002
North Manchester Public Library	0.4 miles	1996
Noftzger-Adams House	0.4 miles	1979
Thomas R. Marshall School	0.7 miles	2004
Peabody Memorial Tower	0.8 miles	2010

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 82000051 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Wabash County	All 33 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.