Oldest Covered Bridge

[Sam Talley]

 

I was going to look at some parts for an old military jeep I’m trying to restore. We came upon a beautiful old restored covered bridge built in 1905. It was initially constructed by farmers to get their goods to market. The covering was designed to protect timbers. It is now in the Natl. Register of Historic Places. There are about thirty others in the State, most built after 1950. But this bridge crossing the Grays River is the oldest one in the State of Washington.

There is a certain romantic aura about them.  I’d like to hear from you about some older and more historically significant ones.

[anthony martin]

  Hey Sam,

     Great blog topic.People think of covered bridges being as American as the proverbial apple pie but wooden covered bridges were once built by the ancient Chinese as well as other cultures.

    I remember always loving riding through one when I was young,the dappled,changing  light and the sound  a vehicle made going through.Fishing from one was a great experience as well.

   Some covered bridge facts:Apparently at present writing the oldest in the country is the Hyde Hall bridge in New York state,built way back in 1825.The second oldest is in New Hampshire and dates from 1829.The longest bridge in U.S. America was once boasted by Kentucky near the town of Butler-built in 1870-1 and torn down after the severe floods of 1937.It was 456 feet long.The Cornish to Windsor N.H. bridge was for many years the U.S. longest at at 449.5 feet but Ohio,who occassionally builds them still(they love covered bridges) completed a monster over 600 feet long in 2008!All this pales in comparison to the biggest in continental North America-the Heartland covered bridge in New Brunswick,Canada is a mind boggling 1,282 feet long!Pennsylvania still boasts the most surviving covered bridges at 231.Ohio has 157 and Vermont still has around 100.

[anthony martin]

   Sam,

      I forgot to add that the author Ambrose Bierce(also a former Civil War officer) wrote a famous horror short story called An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge.It takes place during the Revolutionary War and a haunted covered bridge is the central plot device.It's a great spooky story.

[Dave McGowan]

I thought the curved wooden bridge on the Alaska Highway was an interesting piece. Both the picture and Anthony's follow up make it pretty old hat. It isn't even covered.

I don't recall even being across a covered bridge.

[Gay Mathis]

Don't forget tolls were charged..

[Sam Talley]

Tolls? Why not? The Indians should have thought about that along the Oregon Trail.

[anthony martin]

   Dave,

     They're rather noisy and echo-ey when cars and trucks drive through.I lived near a rather sizable Amish community and a couple of horses and buggies or wagons passing through was really noisy and memorable but it took you back a hundred years.

[Gay Mathis]

Sam, tolls could vary..

Here's an example regarding tolls for "Bridgeport Covered Bridge"

http://www.asce.org/People-and-Projects/Projects/Landmarks/Bridgepo...

In 1862, the price for crossing the Virginia City Turnpike Company's 14-mile section of roadway, including passage over the Bridgeport Covered Bridge, was $.25 for foot travelers, $.50 for horsemen, and $6 -- the maximum toll -- for a team of eight animals.

**********

Tolls regarding some MO Covered Bridges

http://mostateparks.com/blog/state-parks-stories/58682/bridging-gap...

A traveler on foot was three cents. A horse, mule or ox was nine. A one-horse wagon was 37 cents. And crossing faster than a walk brought a fine of a dollar

[Dave McGowan]

Yes, Anthony, I imagine they're very noisy. I've been through several tunnels in both trucks and cars and I expect the reverberation from the wood would add another dimension.

[Sam Talley]

I often thought the deck boards sounded like they do in the old cortoons where they'd lift, flop around and land in place, all like a bunch of piano keys. Does that make sense?

[anthony martin]

  Sam,

    A very apt image!

   Gay,

    If southern girls were used to collect bridge fares could we describe that as "For Whom The Belle Tolls?"