Chasing Covered Bridges: And How to Find Them

By Paul Parrott

A full color "Virtual Encyclopedia" of America's Covered Bridges!  Chasing Covered Bridges lists locations, including state, county, etc. and contains more than 260 full color featured photos, with a total of 800 of these beautiful old structures. Relive America's past through these grand old symbols of times long gone. Join author Paul Parrott, (retired after 22 years in the Navy and nearly 20 years in the U.S. Postal Service), in his travels as he searches to find "Still yet one more bridge."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: Mar 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781618587916

Book preview

CHASING COVERED BRIDGES

CHASING COVERED BRIDGES

AND

HOW TO FIND THEM

By Paul Parrott

www.turnerpublishing.com

Copyright © 2005 Turner Publishing Company

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Turner Publishing Company Staff:

Keith Steele: Publishing Consultant

Charlotte Harris: Project Coordinator

Library of Congress Control No.

2005927922

ISBN: 978-1-56311-993-4

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My wife, Dee, without whose love and help I could not have hunted and found these hundreds of bridges. My entire family and so many friends who finally convinced me that somehow I could plan and write this book. My deceased friend, Jimmy Shepherd, whose interest in the Kentucky covered bridges helped to get me started on this wonderful journey. To God Almighty who provided me with health, finances, and so graciously provided us with safe passage throughout thousands of miles of travel. And to the National Society for Preservation of Covered Bridges for so graciously allowing me to use their World Guide to Covered Bridges in preparing the how to find section of this book.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Words and Abbrevations

Truss Types

The Hunt

Bridges

Alabama

California

Connecticut

Delaware

Georgia

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kentucky

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Oregon

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

Tennessee

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Guides & Maps

Covered Bridges of the United States

Index

INTRODUCTION

As I view these proud old structures, I can almost feel that I am reliving a lot of the past history of our great country. They represent a very important time in the growth and development of the America we love, enjoy and often just seem to take for granted. It is my sincere hope that I can somehow help all who read this, and those who as a result of the reading take more time to really see and appreciate not just the covered bridges of which I write, but also the greatness of our entire country. No source of information on the bridges is rarely entirely completely correct, but so nearly so as to enable me to find over eight hundred.

WORDS AND ABBREVATIONS

OPEN - in use for vehicular traffic

CLOSED - closed to all but foot traffic

BUILT - where records of dates of completion are known

TRUSS TYPES

K.P. - king post

MKP - multiple king post

BURR or ARCH - trusses with supporting arches

QP - queen post

SMITH - name of truss designer

LONG - name of truss designer

HOWE - name of truss designer

PADDLEFORD - name of truss designer

WARREN - name of truss designer

PDLFD - paddleford

THE HUNT

In 1991, I photographed my first covered bridge by chance while traveling inland from the Oregon coast to Crater Lake National Park. This was of little interest to me at the time. Sometime later a friend who was interested in covered bridges, especially in Kentucky, got me slightly interested in the structures, and I joined the now defunct Kentucky Covered Bridges Association. In 1994 while searching the Rand McNally Atlas for points of interest to see on one of our many trips west, I noticed a red dot and the words covered bridges on the Madison County section of the Iowa map. We detoured to the Winterset area and they were celebrating the filming of the movie, The Bridges of Madison County. I took photos of five, but somehow missed the Roseman covered bridge which was the prime source of the story. Quite frankly I was just as interested in John Wayne’s boyhood home in Winterset as I was in the covered bridges at that time, but the seed of interest had been planted. In 1996 I had a severe bout with depression and anxiety and during the recovery period I started phoning various state tourism bureaus and from or through them gained a fair amount of information from those that had covered bridges and their locations and started planning trips. Starting in February 1997 starting in Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine ending in Pennsylvania in early October with a total of approximately 210 covered bridges seen and photographed, several instances of interest occurred. During these trips, once in Indiana, we arrived at a very nice bridge during early morning fog. While waiting for the fog to clear enough to get a photo, a situation with all the appearance of a drug deal developed, but no one seemed concerned by or with us. While searching for another Indiana bridge, the road signs were just steel posts with numbers, which were often bent and twisted, so it was not easy to decide which gravel road to take causing us to get quite lost with no one in sight to ask directions. After passing the same little burg three times, Dee (my wife) said Paul if we go through here one more time they will require us to take up residence. We did, however, find someone who could direct us. When we found it I said Aha! There you are, and told Dee it seemed to say Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you. Something I would repeat many times the next few years. Once in Vermont, we were lost while looking for a certain bridge. We stopped at a quick stop station. I asked the attendant if he knew where this bridge was by name. His answer was yes he knew there was one close by but up here they are kind of like ladies of the night and we don’t pay a lot of attention to them. We arrived in Maine on the last weekend of September when the leaves were just getting in full color. We had planned to stay a day or two at Bar Harbor, but everywhere we called they were full up. We stayed at a little motel up in the hills and started back toward New York the next morning looking for a place to stay. Finally at St. Albans, Vermont the Cadillac Motel attendant said all she had left was the bridal suite with red décor and lots of mirrors. We decided this was not for a couple like us in our seventies. So she said well we could have her quarters but would have to be in before 11 p.m. and could not leave before 7 a.m., as the lobby would be locked. This was fine with us. The leaves are really beautiful in New England in the fall but it is best to have advance accommodations reserved. During 1998 and 1999 we made many trips to Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, California. Another trip to New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and a short trip into Quebec, Canada. We arrived at the border before 8:00 a.m. I am a early riser. Signs at the Canadian Station stated we could check in at either one of two towns. When the border station was not manned, we found one of them and was told we would need to go to the other. So I told Dee we would just go back to the USA and come back after 8:00 a.m, which we did. After talking to a very friendly guard at the Canadian station. I told him what we had done and he said uh oh, they will be looking for you. We had been caught on camera going both ways. He advised us to also go back and get cleared at the U.S. station. A very amused attendant was expecting