A Bridge to the Past

Kevin Coolidge


I can hear the rush of water as the horses approach the stream. It’s a cold, wet night, perfect for dallying in the shelter of the covered bridge crossing Miller’s Creek. Perhaps, I can even steal a kiss from my sweetheart.

I love the red, rustic look of a covered bridge. It reminds me of a time when life was simple and roads were made of dirt instead of asphalt. During the 1800s, there were over 12,000 covered bridges in the United States, but due to fire, flood, neglect and modern replacement that number has dwindled to about 750.

Pennsylvania has slightly more than 200 covered bridges, more than any other state. In fact, Pennsylvania has 25% of the existing covered bridges in the United States. Pennsylvania has many waterways, and during the 1800s, Pennsylvania was almost entirely forested as well as being a major source of lumber for the United States, thus the reason for so many covered bridges.

The first covered bridge in the United States was built in Philadelphia. Timothy Palmer, a bridge builder from Massachusetts, thought if bridges were better protected from the elements, then the life of a bridge could be extended from 10 to 12 years to perhaps as many as 40 years. Today, we can see how keeping a bridge dry and properly maintained can increase its use to well over a 100 years.

Pennsylvania also had the longest covered bridge ever built. The Columbia-Wrightsville Covered Bridge was over a one mile in length, and was constructed over the Susquehanna River. Pennsylvania is indeed the “Covered Bridge Capital” of the United States, being the state with the first covered bridge, the most covered bridges, and home to the longest covered bridge. What could have been an end to a large number of our covered bridges occurred in 1958, when the state highway department began to modernize the highway system.

In Pennsylvania, the state-owned bridges were to be replaced within three years if they did not have at least a 15-ton limit capacity, at least a 14-foot clearance, or one travel lane. This would have eliminated most covered bridges. Local historical societies and a new group of concerned citizens formed the Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Society of Pennsylvania, to save these historical structures.

The influence of the society and public outcry helped create an understanding that the covered bridges would be preserved if it was feasible. The needless destruction of these bridges was slowed, and today the number of existing bridges remains fairly constant.

Fred J. Moll is a historian of the society, and his book Pennsylvania’s Covered Bridges looks at the earliest covered bridges as well as those that have survived progress. There is also a chapter on Pennsylvania’s railroad covered bridges. Very few photos or information exist on these structures. So, step back in time and imagine the days when our forefathers traveled these wooden spans to reach their daily destinations….

Bridge the gap? Or burn your bridges? Email me at from_my_shelf@yahoo.com and let me know. Miss a past column? Take a bridge to the past at http://frommmyshelf.blogspot.com and catch up. Get a glimpse into Hobo the cat’s past in “Hobo Finds A Home”, a children’s book about a cat’s adventures.