Tag Archives: Covered Bridges

Gardens of Memory Covered Bridge

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It isn’t every day that you find a covered bridge at a cemetery but the day I located this covered bridge wasn’t just any day. It was an adventure day.

When I left Muncie that Saturday morning, I was headed toward Fairmount via Route 3 so I could swing by this bridge. It was a gorgeous morning and the warm glow of the sun made it even prettier after the previous day’s gloom.

Gardens of Memory Funeral Home and Cemetery have served the Muncie area since 1954, according to their website.

Their covered bridge spans a small stream between the funeral home and cemetery so that the deceased will be carried over the bridge to their final resting place. The very idea pleased me for some reason. I suppose it’s just lovely to think of a bridge being part of that transition from the world of the living to the land of the deceased.

There’s a plaque dedicated to Ray Parsons. Can you read it?

It says “In grateful recognition of Ray L. Parsons 1954-1988. We wish to say thank you for your insight and help with the dream of our founders for Gardens of Memory Cemetery.”

You know I wasn’t about to let that go. So I Googled Mr Parsons and learned that he was a well known local businessman who owned several businesses including a successful construction company. The father of five and grandfather of nineteen grandchildren and great grandchildren had already buried his wife when he passed away in 2018.

Along the way, I also located an obituary for his brother Charles who had passed away four years before. Incidentally, Charles died on Thursday, December 4, 2014 and Ray passed on Thursday, December 6, 2018.

Don’t ask why I think that’s interesting. It just is.

Anyway, Charles’ obituary notes that he worked on the design and construction of this bridge and said he was proud of it.

I hope they were both proud of it as it’s a nice bridge and well done with the partially open sides that allow light to stream through. Combined with the peaceful cemetery and adjacent fields, this bridge is picturesque.

If you go, you’ll find it at 10501 IN-3, Muncie.

Phillipi Covered Bridge

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Phillipi, West Virginia is home to one of our nation’s most unique covered bridges. It’s the oldest and longest covered bridge in West Virginia but what makes it special is that it’s a double barrel bridge. In plain talk, it’s a two lane bridge and it’s one of few remaining in the nation.

The original bridge was 312 feet long and built for a price tag just over $12,000. The Long Burr Arch Truss bridge was built by well known Appalachian bridge builder Lemuel Chenoworh.

This bridge was commissioned by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1852. Remember, West Virginia was once part of Virginia but counties succeeded and formed a new state that was admitted to the union in 1863.

Today, at 285.5 feet in length, it is still an impressive sight to behold as you approach town. It is open to traffic and the location on US Route 250 means that it’s quite busy.

The bridge has been damaged several times over the years including severe damage caused by flooding in 1985. It was nearly destroyed by fire in 1989 when a gasoline tanker filling underground tanks at a nearby filling station spilled gasoline on the ground. The gas ran to the bridge and a passing car sparked flame when it backfired.

The tragic accident led to a $1.4 million reconstruction project which was led by bridge historian and West Virginia University professor Emory Kemp. I read that they took great care in rebuilding the bridge and in honoring the integrity of the original design.

If you look closely, you’ll still see some burn marks on trusses and supports when you drive through.

I always make a few passes through when I’m in town. I even took a stroll across the pedestrian bridge my last trip there.

There’s parking on either end of the bridge, providing a nice view from the car and a place to leave your vehicle while you explore. There are some restaurants in town but I needed quick food and wasn’t excited about eating in a restaurant given that the pandemic was still going strong.

There’s a Sheetz gas station within walking distance with sparkling clean restrooms and quick made to order sandwiches and sides. I had a picnic while admiring the view and watching the world pass by from one of those parking lots.

It was a perfect way to get in a break and enjoy the view.

Stop back this week to read about the role this bridge played in a Civil War battle.

Mail Pouch Covered Bridge

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One of the most special covered bridges I’ve seen in person is in Guernsey County, Ohio. It was built on private property but is fortunately visible from the road.

Constructed in 1981, it is a short 42 feet and features a Mail Pouch advertisement. The farm is picturesque but the bridge makes it even more beautiful.

I swung by here on my way home from Jamestown, New York last spring and I’m so glad I took the time to go find it.

Have you seen a covered bridge featuring a mural or advertising of some kind?

Martinsville Road Covered Bridge

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It’s called Martinsville Road Covered Bridge and it has been on this spot since 1871. It was updated several years ago to accommodate modern traffic so you can drive through this one and people do. Several motorists passed through in the short time I was there.

The area is positively picturesque.

Fun fact about this bridge: it was built by a fellow named Zimri Wall. In addition to having a fantastic name, Mr. Wall co-founded the Champion Bridge Company a year later.

This is one of the oldest bridge companies in America and they consider this their first work. They’re based in nearby Wilmington, Ohio and a number of their bridges are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Want to visit? It’s in Clinton County along a gorgeous route you can follow between Wilmington and Hillsboro. Find it at 39°19’47” N, 83°50’06” W.

Longest Covered Bridge In America

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The longest covered bridge in the United States is just outside Ashtabula, Ohio. At 613 feet long and standing 93 feet above the Ashtabula River, the Smulen – Gulf Covered Bridge is impressive. It’s situated along a main artery called State Road and is one of the busiest covered bridges I’ve ever seen in terms of traffic flow.

It is not an old bridge. Dedicated in 2008, it was designed by former County Engineer John Smolen and current County Engineer Timothy Martin. Its completion unseated the Cornish- Windsor Covered Bridge which previously held the title of longest covered bridge in the U.S.

It carries two lanes of legal weight traffic with a pedestrian walkway on either side. While it is a rustic wooden covered bridge, it rests atop modern concrete abutments and three concrete piers.

It sounds like this bridge was years in the making and a real labor of love that the community embraced. It replaced an old iron bridge that had long ago replaced another covered bridge. The price tag was a hefty $7.78 million dollars.

There’s a visitor pavilion overlooking the bridge and a parking lot down below with a paved bike path and access to another covered bridge. I walked the path and then up an old access road to the highway to circle back across the pedestrian bridge and back to the car. It was delightful.

Ashtabula County has nineteen covered bridges including seventeen that are open to car traffic. This is the most massive and impressive that I saw during my whirlwind tour. I would love to see it surrounded by fall foliage someday.

Mill Branch Covered Bridge

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My mother and I went on a little adventure Saturday and located two covered bridges along the way in Washington County. She and my dad haven’t quite trusted me since I dragged them to a couple of more isolated bridges last year so we just went to a couple that are along the beaten path.

The one pictured here, the Mill Branch Covered Bridge is a bit of an oddity. It was built in 1871 over the Mill Branch of the Little Hocking River, some three tenths of a mile east of its current location.

In 1980, at the ripe old age of 91, it was moved to the Barlow Fairgrounds. It was restored in the mid nineties. The thing that makes this bridge truly special is the Ohio Bicentennial logo painted on both sides. It appears to be the work of Scott Hagan, the barn artist commissioned to paint all 88 Ohio Bicentennial Barns in time for the Bicentennial celebration in 2003.

It is a curiosity because I haven’t found anything online about this bridge and the Ohio Bicentennial celebration. Every County in Ohio record a Bicentennial Barn and Washington is no different. Did the state paint the logo on this covered bridge? Did the community have it done?

If someone knows, I would love to hear the story!

Washington County has nine covered bridges and there is a driving tour. This one is the easiest to locate. There’s ample parking but it is closed to motor vehicle traffic.

If you’re interested in covered bridges, I’ve written about several. You’ll find them all if you type covered bridge in the search box.