A small gasp of awe is heard as one draws up to the newest of covered bridges here in Ohio. Breathtaking in size and design, the Richard Eastman Hyde Road Covered Bridge crosses a piece of the Little Miami Bike Trail. Standing on the trail, looking up, one can see today and yesterday, all in one moment.

From its twelve windows to its cupola and bicycle weather vane, it is a beautiful, nostalgic sight. Some have referred to covered bridges as romantic in nature. Admittedly, this bridge does touch the heart and remind one of the true art of construction when nature is taken into account.

Painted a flat, weathered red with cream trim, the bridge is a Howe through Truss type and is seventy-seven feet long. This type of bridge was one of the first configurations for covered bridges back in the late 1800s.

William Howe of Spencer, Massachusetts, patented the design in 1840. Before that though, around 1820, Ithiel Towne patented a lattice work covered bridge design known as the Towne or lattice bridge. To protect the trusses, wooden roofs and sides were installed. At that time, bridges were rarely painted to aid in protection against the elements. This led to a short life span and much labor in maintaining the timbers and integrity. (It wasn’t until after 1850 that iron was used in the bridges.)

 In old Ohio newspapers, one county stands out for relating covered bridge news. Vinton County recorded ten pages out of the first forty of news related to their bridges. An 1873 example is the following: “Commissioners are building three bridges including a covered bridge with stone abutments across Big Raccoon Creek near Daniel Wortman’s mill, another of the same type over Little Raccoon Creek near Henry Robbin’s residence and a third Open bridge with stone abutments across Big Raccoon Creek near Samuel Beckley’s home.”

An 1896 report from Columbus, Ohio, showed that the State Senate had passed a bill that allowed for county commissioners to light covered bridges. Lighting was granted in many communities as automobiles became the mode of transportation and nighttime driving was increasing.

Wooden bridges were not made with the strength it took to hold automobiles though. The following piece from 1916 in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, shows just what problems could and did arise.

 “Our local covered bridge has stood for 49 years. It has been given a vacation for a couple of weeks (while repairs were done). Its floor has been a series of ups and downs, twists and wriggles, windings and warps for a long time. Sunday it was discovered one of the stringers was broken underneath. This while several automobiles crossed it.

A good many years ago the bridge showed weakness, and a series of arches was built inside. The arches then buckled and of late the floor tilted in a twisty way and many persons are scared of crossing with a heavy load. It was never built for traffic as heavy as present day, or vibration such as a heavy automobile sets up. For years the bridge has borne a sign warning of a fine of $5.00 for crossing it faster than a walk.”

At the peak of their use, there were hundreds of covered bridges in Ohio. Today there are a little over 140. Ohio is home to the longest and the shortest of those bridges in the United States. The Smolen-Gulf Bridge located on State Road in Fairfield County is 613 feet long. It is of the Pratt truss design. The West Liberty Covered Bridge is the shortest at 18 feet.

 While a list of seventy covered bridges in Ohio can be found on Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, a more complete list can be found on Dale Travis’ website, recently updated. Search, looking for his name and website, under ‘covered bridges in Ohio’.

Manmade structures are all around us. We live in them. We shop in them. We work and learn in them. They are necessary. We take them for granted. While in the past covered bridges were also taken for granted, we can gaze on bridges such as the Hyde Road one and remember that because of the integrity of the components and workmanship, our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy the ‘romance’ of a covered bridge in the future.

Contact Connie at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via this newspaper. Join her at Grit Blog Landing for more stories and photos.

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