At one time the United States had over 14,000 of these wonderful bridges scattered over a large area of the United States.  It has been estimated that only 880 of these unique bridges remain standing in thirty of the states.  Most are located on our more scenic rural roads and maintained by townships. Many have simply rotted away and fallen out of neglect after they were bypassed, some have been burned by vandals and others washed away by flood waters. The 142 covered bridges I have visited and photographed are those listed on the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) website. The ODOT list was developed from Ohio Historic Bridge Guide.  There has been a resurgence of interest in these old bridges and many have been restored by local groups, local government and private individuals. Some have been neglected since they were by-pased by township highway departments with newer style bridges and without help some of those will be lost to time as well.  Many bridges have been relocated to parks, while some were sold and moved to private property, others were left standing in the original locations and were renovated in-place. Many are well over one hundred years old and they were designed to last that long when built. One of our Ohio bridges, the Roberts bridge in Preble County, is a rare double-barrelled bridge and the only one remaining in Ohio. It also is considered one of the oldest remaining bridges in the US built in 1829, according to the World Guide of Covered Bridges 1989. The oldest being built 1825. An excellent document to learn everything you ever wanted to know about covered bridges is the ‘Covered Bridge Manual’ dated April 2005 by the Federal Highway Administration.

The  book Covered Bridges of Ohio: A Photo Guide’ by Jack R. Perry available NOW

The book may be ordered here by Clicking the title: ‘The Covered Bridges of Ohio: A Photo Guide’

Jack