From its junction with U.S. 41, U.S. 36 heads east into downtown Rockville, the Parke County, Indiana, county seat and capital of Covered Bridge Country.
Two blocks east of the junction you'll find the Parke County Historical Museum on the south side of the highway. The structure was built in 1839 and originally housed a seminary. Later, the building served as an armory during the Civil War and as a school for black children from 1873 to 1924. It has served as the historical museum since 1975.
Continuing east on U.S. 36, you will encounter the Ritz Theater, home of the Parke Players, on the north side of the highway. Originally, the Ritz was the New Rockville Opera House, built in 1913.
Like most early opera houses, the building later became a movie theater. Like most rural movie theaters, dwindling attendance caused it to close in the late 1960s. The former opera house has been home to the Parke Players since 1971. The troupe performs several plays each year at the historical facility.
Pass the Parke County Courthouse and the downtown square and continue east and you'll see the old train depot on the south side of U.S. 36. Today, it houses Parke County Inc., the county's tourism organization.
Before we leave Rockville, I want to make a pitch for Parke County's annual celebration of its covered bridges.
When we started this site, I made a decision that we would not write about every little burg's annual celebration of its popular food stuff (apples, corn, you name it), famous resident or historical attraction. However, if there's one annual festival in Indiana that's worth mentioning, it's the Covered Bridge Festival.
This annual event begins the second Friday of October and runs for 10 days. The entire county gets involved; in addition to the pleasant drives through the Indiana countryside to enjoy the splendid fall colors and see the historic bridges, virtually every community in Parke County participates in some way.
Rockville is the Covered Bridge Festival headquarters and it all begins on the courthouse lawn. If you go, start here.
OK, back to the highway.
One mile east of Rockville is the historic Billie Creek Village, a re-created turn-of-the-century village and living homestead. The site includes 38 authentic buildings/exhibits, including two covered bridges within walking distance of each other.
More importantly to us two-lane lovers, the Billie Creek Village property sits between current-day U.S. 36 and a stretch of road that originally was part of the Pike's Peak Ocean-to-Ocean Highway before it was re-routed to the north.
Baseball lovers will now want to take a side trip away from the highway at this point. Turning north onto County Road 160 East (directly across from the entrance to Billie Creek Village) and traveling three miles on this road will bring you to the tiny village of Nyesville.
Nyesville was the birthplace of Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown, Hall of Fame pitcher who toed the rubber for the Chicago Cubs in four World Series between 1906 and 1910.
Brown was born Oct. 19, 1876, in this Parke County community. It was here as a young boy that he earned the nickname "Three-Finger" after losing part of his index finger in a farming accident. Despite that misfortune, Brown went on to win more than 200 games as a major league pitcher and was often compared to Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson, his rival during that era.
Today, a monument to Brown's major-league accomplishments graces the property of his childhood home. While visiting, make sure you peek inside the mailbox there. The caretakers of the property have tucked a "Guest Book" inside; feel free to sign it.
Return to U.S. 36 and continue east as it meanders toward the small town of Bellmore. If you'd like to explore another stretch of "Old" 36, look for County Road East 50 South on the north side of the highway.
As you approach the blinking lights at the highway's junction with Indiana 59, slow down a little; there have been several serious accidents here over the years.
Photos Top: This covered bridge crosses the old Pike's Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway on the property of Billie Creek Village. Middle: A view of the turn-of-the-century Billie Creek Village. Bottom: The Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown monument in Nyesville, Indiana.
Continue east on U.S. 36 (Coming soon!)
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