I turned onto the road where this bridge was located and had trouble reconciling what I was seeing. There was the bridge but instead of being over the river, it had been slid off onto the road next to the river and placed on pilings.
There have been bridges at this location on the river since 1791. It required regular repairs and was replaced in 1820 by Wentworth Lord at a cost of $133. (What does $133 buy today? – Not a lot) The low cost is partly attributable to Lord’s use of lumber leftover from the old bridge as much as possible. It was rebuilt again in 1849 by John Brown for $234. The current bridge was built during the 1870s by Jacob Berry.
A major restoration began in November 1982 by Milton Graton and Sons at a cost of $85,000. This family owned company specializes in restoring covered bridge and has had numerous articles written about them. You can find one with excellent pictures here. Pictures of moving the bridge off of the river can be found here.
That is a strange indeed but it is a very good human interest story. Thanks!
Thank you so much.
Is this the bridge’s permanent location now, or are there plans to move it back across the river?
Those photos were taken a long time ago, so it’s been there a while. I imagine there is the intent to return it to the river but I’m not sure why it hasn’t been done.
Ah, okay. I didn’t realize that.
This is a very interesting story. It’s always fascinating how key assets like bridges are restored again and again.
I thought I might share this link re a unique bridge where I live: https://parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au/site/one-tree-bridge
Wow! That is just amazing. Thanks for sharing. It’s a treasure.
I can almost feel the chill in the early morning air. 🍁🍂🌾
It’s getting that way. Last Monday, it was 48 degrees when I woke up.
I find it fascinating that you can find so much information about the construction of these covered bridges, including the costs of construction.
There was a bok put out in the 1990s and is now available online. Often the bridges also have plaques that add to the material.
A covered bridge on land looks like a barn, doesn’t it?
It does. Some used similar construction methods for both. This one does have arches on either side for support.
Oh, what you can find when you go looking. I think this is the most interesting ‘bridge’ so far.
It was intriguing to see and looks absolutely huge up on blocks like that. It reminded me of Noah’s ark.
What an unusual find! I’m glad that they are hanging onto it. I wonder if they will ever place it over the river again. Cool construction. These are great photos. I like seeing the green of the mountain in the background. Thanks Chris!
It was so odd to see the bridge off the river like that but kind of a cool experience. I hope they put it back someday.