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July - August - September - Summer 2002

Newsletter
National Society for the preservation of Covered Bridges
Incorporated

Sunday, July 28, at l p.m. Meeting will be at the Contoocook Railroad Bridge, Hopkinton, NH. We usually have lunch before the meeting at noon at the Pizza place next to the bridge. Funds have been allocated to help repair the structure. There are also several other covered bridges in the area to enjoy and photograph.

Sunday, August 25 Annual picnic in Westminster, VT at the site of the Archives (Westminster Institute and Butterfield Library). David has promised to have a grill for our use and we will be barbecuing burgers and dogs. Picnic begins at 12:00 and the meeting will begin about 1:00. There is plenty of room here and in case of inclement weather we could enter the confines of the building as many of you are familiar with. Location is on route 5 in Westminster, VT, just about 4 buildings south of the Post Office on the east side of the road. Turn onto Grout Avenue for just a very short distance and to the right again, drive to the rear of the Institute and Butterfield Library. This is a very informal meeting. Please bring your own chairs, and all your paraphernalia needed to be satisfied for your lunch.

Sunday, September 22 Meeting will be held at the "Bog" (Cilleyville) Bridge in Andover, NH. We will meet at the site about noon and the meeting will commence after lunch. Please bring your own food. There will be a charcoal grill available. Tim Andrews is in the process of repairing this structure. The bridge is located just off of Route 11 on the road from Cilleyville to West Andover. It can be seen from Route 11. See photo on page 10 taken in 1960 by Dick Roy.

Sunday, October 20 NSPCB Annual Meeting. French King Restaurant, Millers Falls, MA.

Sunday, November 24 Meeting will be held at the Plymouth Church, 87 Edgell Road, Framingham, MA

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Dear Fellow Members, Greetings!

As this message is being drafted, during the first week of June, we here in Westminster are beginning to enjoy late Spring/early Summer weather. It has rained quite a bit -- not at all a bad thing; those of you who live in Northern New England already know about our persistant drought, and the rest of you have probably heard of it -- but at the same time there has been a goodly amount of sun. There have also been a fair number of warm days, some in fact much too warm for my taste. I recall particularly several early on where the temperature reached 91 degrees. This was of course before I had installed my air conditioners! Oh well, one does occasionally need to be reminded that slouth indeed has consequences, this despite opinions to the contrary which have sometimes prevailed over the course of the past few years. In any case, and were something extra needed so as to vanquish undue pessimism, the Covered-Bridge-Visiting Season will soon be upon us, a time of the year which I am sure holds as many pleasures for the vast majority of you as it does for me.
       Speaking of Covered Bridges, in principle, the subject matter of these quarterly ramblings, this is the year when, with regard to the Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge, many things are scheduled to change for the better.
       For those of you who are not yet acquainted with the span, it is the oldest surviving Covered Railroad Bridge in the world, to the best of the Society's knowledge, not just in the U.S. of A. Be that as it may, the structure in question was built in 1889 by the Boston and Maine Railroad Company. It replaced a Child's Truss span, hence the erroneous date of 1849 which is sometimes ascribed to it.
       In the context of what is about to be undertaken at the site, and within the structure, it would certainly be appropriate to review the various repairs which have been affected there thanks to the generous contributions of Society members, and to the interest earned from that capital which has been put aside in the Eastman-Thomas Fund for Covered Bridge Preservation.
       After the Claremont and Concord Railroad ceased operations through and around the Village of Contoocook in about 1962, various assets of what had then become a former railroad line were sold off. Amongst these various assets was the now out of service Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge. It was purchased by a private party, and eventually became the storage shed for a canoe rental business. Subsequently, and I must confess that I do not know in exactly which year, the Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge became the property of the people of New Hampshire. As an historic property, it is the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources who are charged with the maintenance and preservation of this wonderful structure. The difficulty for the Division is that, though New Hampshire law has given them the authority to assume ownership of historic structures and properties, it has not, in most cases, assured them of the funds necessary to take care of such structures and properties in an adequate manner, were they, i.e., the Division, to feel obliged to accept ownership of any in the first place.
       In respect to the Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge, the rather odd state of affairs described above is precisely where the National Society came into the matter; to wit: (1) the Society had a few monies available for preservation, not many, but a few, and the Division had none, or at least none that could be freed up for the Contoocook Covered Bridge; (2) the Directors and other officers of the National Society were well aware of the importance of the Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge -- one must not forget that as far as the Society knows, there are now but eight of these spans surviving in the world, all of them to be found in the United States, incidentally, and that the one in the Village of Contoocook, as has been said, is the oldest to remain -- and were more than willing to expend Society funds so as to assure its preservation; (3) when asked to decide the question, those members of the Society present and voting at the various meetings where the matter came up were all in favor of what the directors and other officers of the Society had recommended; and finally, (4) thanks to the generosity and great expertise of both Arnold Graton and Tim Andrews, the very best restoration techniques could be brought to bear upon the problems the Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge faced at the time of the Society's decision to help the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources stabilize and preserve this wonderful structure.
       To date, much progress has been made: (1) the four corners of the Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge have been "dug out," all four having been initially buried in various combinations of sand, gravel, debris, and old soda and beer bottles (At one corner of the span, a large tree had even taken root in the debris in question; it was growing well, and seemed quite healthy until we removed it!); (2) the door and attendant added endboarding associated with the span's days as a canoe storage shed have been removed; (3) missing sideboarding, endboarding, and inside endboarding -- this time, of the original sort! -- has been replaced in kind; (4) the roof has been thoroughly gone over -- it had begun to leak in several places, mostly because strong winds had loosened and/or removed certain of the metal panels out of which it is made -- and well secured with screws; any missing roofing panels were of course replaced: (5) a sufficient (We hope!) quantity of "No-Char Fire Preventer" has been purchased such that the entire structure may be treated with this product; (6) certain crucial areas within the span have had "No-Char" applied to them; and finally, (7) a paint formula has been derived which closely replicates the one employed by the Boston and Maine Railroad when the Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge was first painted (Perhaps the only time it was painted!); this formula will become an integral part of the specifications for repainting the Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge, the painter ultimately awarded the contract being as well charged with making up all paint required for the project.
       For those of you who are curious about late nineteenth-century paints, the mixture employed to paint the Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge initially, appears to have been a fairly simple one. Similar mixtures were applied to literally tens of thousands of barns all across the country, this even down into the nineteen thirties and nineteen forties. It consisted of a single pigment, Indian Red, the latter having been stirred in Linseed Oil, probably without the addition of a dryer.
       Most of you are probably familiar with the somewhat generic term, "barn red." Well, the above indicated formula will produce one of the two basic shades known by this name. The other variety makes use of Venetian Red, rather than Indian Red. What is the difference between the two? A paint made up of Indian Red and Raw Linseed Oil will have a decidedly purple cast to it, especially after it has been in place for a while, whereas if Venetian Red should have been the pigment of choice, a dark, rich, warm shade of red will be the result, with very little if any purple showing. My preference would always be for the warmer colour, but the Boston and Maine Railroad apparently had another view of the matter, and in respect to the Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge, especially during the course of any restoration scheme, their view, in my opinion at least, ought to prevail.
       Early on in the present message I stated that many good things are slated to occur this year respecting the repair and stabilization of the Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge. Two of the more important of these are the jacking of both ends of the structure so as to be able to replace rotted out bed timbers and corbels, and the partial removal of a "deck" attached to an adjoining building. Unfortunately, the deck in question is also attached to the Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge. This deck dates, I believe, from the days of the span's use as a canoe storage shed, and in any case would seem to have had nothing to do with the Bridge during its glorious days of employment along the mainline of the Concord and Claremont Railroad.
       It should be noted that the removal of a section of this deck is now necessary for more than just historical-preservationist reasons: positioned as it is currently, part of it is directly under the eaves of the bridge. When it rains, therefore, water falling off the roof of the structure falls directly upon the deck, whence it splashes back upon the sideboarding of the bridge, rotting the latter out, and at the same time putting more important things lying behind the sideboarding at risk as well.
       As I'm sure most of you can readily imagine, jacking a structure as heavy and as massive as the Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge is no simple matter. It will require great skill, inventiveness, and much previous experience in order to be successfully accomplished. The Society is therefore quite fortunate to have been able to secure the services of Timothy Andrews, of Barns and Bridges of New England, to undertake this rather delicate task. (It does seem a bit strange to employ the word, 'delicate,' to describe the lifting of a structure weighing many tons, yet there are numerous subtilties involved in such a task: therefore, the term, 'delicate,' imposes itself almost automatically.) As I have had occasion to mention before, Tim is indeed a Master Bridgewright, one of a rather rare species in this day and age. His work is always of the highest order. In a phrase, he never disappoints.
       A final thought: I had intended in this President's Message to finish what I had started last quarter; that is to say, to flesh out in much greater detail the National Park Service project regarding National Historic Landmark status for a group of thirty or perhaps more Covered Bridges. Unfortunately, the needed commentary concerning the Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge has used up the available space and the available time. As one used to say back in the dark ages of early radio, please stay tuned for the next installment! (Next quarter!!!) In the meantime, Happy Bridging!!!!

Your President, David W. Wright

COVERED BRIDGE TOPICS may well enjoy its distinction of being one of the world's most unique publications, for it has gained that niche the hard way. In fact, the personal history of TOPICS is almost as unusual as its identity.
       TOPICS was originated in April, 1943, by Richard Sanders Allen, of Round Lake, New York, and publication continued from that place until November, 1944. The paper reappeared late in August, 1945, from Anderson, Indiana, sponsored by a partnership consisting of Allen and Eugene R. Bock. After its early trials, which undoubtedly would have discouraged completely any less determined person than its founder, TOPICS, we hope, is here to stay.
       TOPICS started as a circular letter, became a monthly paper distributed gratis to a very limited number of recipients, was shelved temporarily after its sixteenth consecutive issue because its publisher was working practically night and day filling two jobs, then, after its seventeenth number (Pre-Winter, 1944), was discontinued.
       When the originator of TOPICS knew definitely that he was headed for the armed services, what remained of the publication, and the perishable portion of its files found a new home in Anderson. The present publisher, familiarly referred to between the partners as the "Western Office", celebrated the uproarious evening of V-J Day by bringing out a renewal of TOPICS by mimeograph. Copies were sent, first to the original recipients, to advise them of the revival, then to historical societies and libraries throughout the United States and Canada. The reception of the reconstituted paper was such that the fondest hopes of the two partners -- to bring the publication out, some bright day, as a subscription-type magazine -- were introduced to reality. In less than 100 days the changeover was complete and TOPICS was a going concern.
       To properly tell the story of COVERED BRIDGE TOPICS, one must first tell the story of its founder, for without it the narrative loses much of its meaning.
       Allen in civilian life is postmaster of the town of Round Lake, NY. He is not quite thirty years of age and is the father of two very lively boys, Richard Stanley Allen, age six, and Robert Bishop Allen, four. His wife Doris Bishop Allen is keeping the letters and parcels moving in his absence.
       He has been a Wall Street office boy, service station attendant, timekeeper on road construction, service station salesman, oil company salesman, service station operator, stock keeper for the General Electric Company and, finally, postmaster. As an inveterate hobbyist, he has collected stamps, postmarks, maps, aircraft history, oil company history, but for the past nine years has turned his attention to covered bridges. For the benefit of those who are interested, Allen's personal collection of covered bridge pictures numbered about 4,000 the last time he took inventory, which was 'way back in 1940. Heaven only knows what it amounts to now.
       Allen's father was Charles Rollin Allen, a native of Brookfield, Vermont, who grew to manhood in Williamstown, in the same state. He was city engineer of Barre, Vermont, then became a consulting engineer on road and bridge construction, with headquarters in Saratoga Springs, New York.
       While he was city engineer of Barre, he courted Mabel Stanley Calef, of Providence, Rhode Island, who had come to Vermont to follow her profession of school teaching. They were married, and to this union were born three sons and one daughter. The fourth child, born January 4th, 1917, in a Saratoga Springs hospital, was Richard Sanders Allen.
       Rick, by which name he is known to his friends, has lived in Saratoga, Maplewood, New Jersey, Albany and Troy, New York, and St. Johnsbury, Vermont. But this is getting ahead of the story.
       He attended high school in Saratoga Springs. While he was a junior, there was a girl in the senior class named Doris E. Bishop. He had no inkling that she was to become a very important factor in his life. In fact, he didn't even know her at all -- then. Doris' father was the local agent of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad.
       Rick was having difficulties, back in 1937, deciding which of his hobbies were worth continuing. His collection of history matter on oil companies was beginning to pall upon him, and he had started taking snapshots of old locks and other remains of the Empire State's canal heyday. His sister chanced to purchase a set of gift pictures of covered bridges, done in sepia, for a cousin who was mildly interested in the subject. Ripe for something new to collect, Rick observed, at his first glance at the picture set, that here was something worthy of his attention.
       Just to satisfy his curiosity, he set about finding out where some bridges were located, so he could photograph them. To his surprise, he found many. It started him all the more, because people with whom he had discussed bridges never seemed to know of the existence of more than one or two.
       A dyed-in-the-wool covered bridge researcher does well to have a flair for traveling the byways, for there is where the finest and fairest game abounds. Rick had traveled with his father all over northern New York and Vermont, camping out or sleeping on a car bed as the elder Allen visited bridge and highway construction projects in his capacity as consultant. Trips with his parent heightened Rick's interest in travel, maps, geography and interesting sites.
       Rick's only regret is that his bridge collecting did not start until a bare three months before his father's death.
       About the time Rick's first interest in covered bridges developed, he was keeping pretty steady company with Doris Bishop. Rick had Fridays off, and with a new car in which to gallivant about the countryside, the pair always managed to work in an itinerary of covered bridges, along with the picnics, swimming and picture-taking. They found that having definite bridge sites to go to was more exciting than wandering about aimlessly. One bridge conquest led to another, and soon Rick found himself in possession of a credible collection of bridge prints.
       Between trips he did extensive research in libraries and through the mail. He developed a large list of bridge correspondents, who would trade pictures and information with him. Eventually the correspondence grew to such proportions that he found himself hopelessly distanced by the enthusiasm and exuberance of his fellow-hobbyists. His mail replies went weeks and months behind schedule. In desperation, he thought of a Hektographed form letter. Volume I Number I of COVERED BRIDGE TOPICS was born.
       Meanwhile, Rick and Doris had married, had lived in St. Johnsbury and Troy and, by strange quirk of housing circumstance, had moved to Round Lake in order to have a roof over their heads. That, they assert, was the most fortunate move they have made, for the Allens are permanently esconced in the "friendly little village in the grove."
       Rick says he has found covered bridge "collecting" to be satisfying in every respect. There is an unlimited field for original research. One does not need to possess the actual article to start a covered bridge collection. One becomes interested in many kindred fields -- history, biography, engineering, carpentry, trees and wood types, travel, geography, transportation systems, economics and toll rates, old-time ways of living , antiques and nobody yet knows how much else.
       He is proudest of his origination of the covered bridge census (TOPICS, March, 1944), together with railroad bridge census, his original research upon Theodore Burr and other early covered bridge builders, his collection of photographs and information upon former covered bridges of New York State -- and, of course, the origination of COVERED BRIDGE TOPICS.
       Rick's greatest ambition, aside from becoming a magazine publisher, is to possess a picture of every existing covered bridge n the United States.
       And his pet peeve? Those uniformed individuals who insist upon referring to "colonial" and "200year-old" covered bridges. (Covered bridges of the United States date back between 140 and 150 years, according to our best information and if anyone can prove us mistaken, it shall make us very happy, indeed!)
       Rick's mother resides in Unionville, Connecticut, and reads TOPICS from cover to cover. His sister lives in Cambridge, New York, one brother in Maplewood, New Jersey, and the other in Cleveland.
       The Western partner of the TOPICS publication became acquainted with the founder through pure happenstance. Back in October, 1942, Frederick Polley, the Indianapolis artist, made a sketch of the Harrodsburg covered bridge in Monroe county, Indiana, which appeared in the following Sunday's issue of The Indianapolis Star. In descriptive matter beneath the picture, the writer was described as the "most enthusiastic covered bridge fan," Mr. Polley knew. In some manner, Rick came into possession of a copy of that issue of The Star. He doesn't know to this day precisely what impelled him to send a sample copy of Volume I, Number 2 of COVERED BRIDGE TOPICS to Anderson, but we are aware now that Fate was in a smiling mood.
       The first seventeen issues of COVERED BRIDGE TOPICS were produced by Hektograph, which is a process by which only a comparatively few impressions from a master copy can be obtained. The circulation of the original TOPICS was limited by this particular production problem.
       When TOPICS moved from Round Lake to Anderson and appeared as a mimeographed periodical, considerable demand developed for back-numbers. There just weren't any to be had.
       We suggested attempting to reproduce the originals by mimeograph. Rick told us go ahead. A limited number of full sets of back-number files was produced, then the stencils were cleaned and filed away.
       Our stock of sets was sold in less than three months. Meanwhile, there had been suggestions that the back-numbers be incorporated into a book, rather than by loose sheets, in which form they were available after the initial printing. And so the Souvenir Book of COVERED BRIDGE TOPICS came into existence.
       The first sixteen issues of TOPICS are reproduced just as they originally appeared. After the sixteenth will be found explanatory inserts recounting happenings to the publication at the respective periods.

             Eugene R. Bock Anderson, Indiana March, 1946.

Another Bridge Destroyed by Arson! Dick Wilson from Rome, NY has informed us that Risser Mill Bridge (38-36-36) in Mount Joy Township, Lancaster County, PA was arsoned on July 8, 2002. This was a 130-year-old bridge next to the stone mill on Mt Pleasant Road over the Little Chickies Creek. Risser's Mill Bridge, previously called Horst's Mill Bridge, fell into disrepair in the 1970s. But it was refurbished and was in excellent condition at the time of the fire.

Spanning New York State
Covered Bridge News

By Bob and Trish Kane

File Cleaning

CORRECTION: On page 8 of the. Spring newsletter, it was reported that the cost of rebuilding the Slate bridge in NH was listed as $1.4 million. This was the original estimate for the project; the actual cost was only $975,000.

USA TODAY, May 17, 2002. Coveting Covered Bridges. Many custom-made covered bridges are built for the wealthy and nostalgic.

Burlington Free Press, June 3, 2002. State Replacing Roofs on Vermont Covered Bridges. Thirty-one covered bridges across Vermont will have their metal roofs replaced at a cost of $60,000. The National Historic Covered Bridge Program, through the federal Highway Administration, is funding the project.

Evansville Courier & Press , April 4, 2002. Fire Destroys Covered Bridge in Parke County. Fire destroyed the 87-year-old Jeffries Ford Bridge (14-61-03) near Bridgeton, Indiana this past April. It was the second recent fire in Parke County. An earlier suspicious fire caused minor damage to Jackson Bridge near Turkey Run State Park. Both fires are likely the work of arsonists and police officers have been assigned to closely watch the county's 31 other covered bridges.

Herald-Republican , April 6, 2002. DeKalb Covered Bridge Returns to Original Glory at Conner Prairie. After bring ignored for 30 years, the Cedar Chapel covered bridge began a new life at Conner Prairie. The bridge is now linking the Conner Prairie 1836 history exhibits for the living museum with a new exhibit depicting rural life in 1886.

The Union Leader , May 6, 2002. Covered Bridge Group Tours NH Structures. More than 60 covered bridge enthusiasts joined the NY Covered Bridge Society touring central NH for a weekend tour.

Tribune Star , April 5, 2002. Parke County Bridge on New Postage Stamp. A bright red Parke County covered bridge along with part of the Indianapolis skyline including the statehouse dome is featured on the Indiana stamp issued by the U.S. Post Office as one of their 50 "Greetings from America" designs.

The Daily Clintonian , March 20, 2002. Attempted Arson. Jackson Bridge in Parke County, IN sustained minimal damage in an attempted arson. Luckily, no structural damage occurred. This bridge, built in 1861 by J.J. Daniels is the longest single span bridge still used daily in Parke County.

The Blade , Toledo, OH, March 22, 2002. Winds of Change Bring More Repairs to 129-year-old Bridge. Over the years, the Parker Covered Bridge (OH-88-03) near Upper Sandusky, OH has been set afire, vandalized, and now nearly blown off its foundation. Winds estimated as high as 80mph caused enough damage that the bridge had to be closed to traffic. Once the bridge is straightened, engineers said it can hopefully be reinforced to prevent future wind damage. Repair bills are estimated to exceed $32,000.

New Castle News , March 26, 2002. Covered Bridge Damaged, Closed. The covered bridge in McConnell's Mill State Park was closed to traffic after being damaged by a fallen tree last March. A dead tree was uprooted, presumably by high winds, and part of it went through the roof of the McConnell's Mill Bridge (PA-37-O1) in Lawrence County, PA. Temporary repairs were made and bridge reopened a few days later.

The Mercury , April 26, 2002. Covered Bridge Reconstruction Expected in June. An historic covered bridge in the Pleasantville section of Oley township (Berks County, PA) will be getting a much-needed facelift. The Pleasantville Bridge (PA-06-O1) over the Manatawny Creek has been closed for a number of years after heavy rains undermined the supporting structure. Deblin Inc. of Mechanicsburg was the apparent low bidder out of eight firms that wanted to rebuild the bridge.

CONTRIBUTORS: Lorraine and Roland Routhier, KC Klingensmith, James R. Crouse, Dick Roy, Roger Grover, Leroy J. Fichter, Brian J. McKee and Tom Walczak.

The Prentiss Bridge, the shortest covered bridge in New Hampshire, was built in 1874. It is on the route of the 1840 Cheshire Turnpike and was used until 1954. It was designed by U.S. patentee and Langdon resident, Sanford Granger and built by his son Albert.
       All the funds expended on the restoration of the Prentiss Bridge were raised privately through community events and citizen participation. No public funds were involved.
       The Langdon Covered Bridge Association and the Town of Langdon cordially invite you to the rededication of the newly restored Prentiss Bridges over the Great Brook in Langdon, NH on the 24th of August, 2002 at 10:00AM.
       Please R.S.V.P. by August 3, 2002 by calling 603-835-7943.

Palmer Werner Obituary: Palmer Werner from Redford, MI passed away on May 13, 2002 in a tragic automotive accident. Palmer has been a great friend of covered bridges. He has an extensive photo collection of some 1700 covered bridges, many of which are long gone. His widow, Martha, would find comfort from hearing from his covered bridge friends. Her address is: Martha Werner, 19777 Seminole, Redford, MI 48240.

"Bog" (Cilleyville) Bridge in Andover, NH. Photo by Dick Roy, 1960.

The following are items still available through the Society: All of the items below are available from June Roy, 73 Ash Street, Manchester, NH 03104-4906 or E-mail >dickroycbl@Juno.com<

The Book, Life in the Slow Lane is still available for $16.95 + $3.95 Shipping and Handling.

Society Arm Patch with N.S.P.C.B. logo 3" arm patch available for $1.75 + 55 cents P&H.

Books Available by Andrew Howard:

CB's of Madison County IA, A Guide . . . . . .$6.50
CBs of Connecticut, A Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.50
CB's of Virginia, A Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.95
CB's of Bennington County VT, A Guide . . . $6.50
CB's of Massachusetts, A Guide . . . . . . . . . .$7.00
There is a $2.00 postage and handling charge for each book.

There is also an excellent book out on Vermont Covered Bridges called, "Spanning Time -- Vermon's Covered Bridges." You can get a copy by contacting Joseph Nelson, 2 Sugar Hill Road, Underhill VT 05489 or Visit >www.vermontbridges.com> Joseph Nelson is the President of the Vermont Society.

Both are now available on computer diskette in either Mac or PC format. Please specify your choice. The TOPICS index includes: Table of Contents for each issue, an index to subjects and authors, as well as more. The World Guide is kept up to date and in the regular format. Order your choice at $5.00 each from Joseph Cohen, 130 Westfield Drive, Holliston, MA 01746 from mid-April until mid-September. The rest of the year he is at 210 Wellington F, West Palm Beach, FL 33417.

A Note from Pauline Prideaux (Membership Chairperson): Membership cards are in the mail!! So many people have responded for their dues before the July newsletter. Its overwhelming in a good way. I just want to say "thanks" to those patient people. Getting me up and running on a limited time frame has been challenging. I have received lots of support through your notes, cartoons and supportive words that came with your dues payments. Covered bridgers are a very supportive and giving group. Looking forward to the next batch!! If you haven't sent your dues in yet, please do it as soon as possible. "Happy Bridging!"

Advertisement: Have your covered bridge, family or pet picture on a brooch, Christmas ornament, paperweight, or magnet. Send me your picture and I will put it on the item of your choice. Your photo will be returned unharmed with your order. (Please send photo sealed in a plastic bag in case the envelope gets wet in shipping.)

Pin: 2 1/4" brooch with porcelain stone in antiqued goldtone setting
Christmas Ornament: 3" china with photo on both sides
Paperweight: 3" round china
Magnets (set of 4): 2" china square
All items are $15.95 with free priority shipping!

If you do not have a covered bridge photo you would like to use, you may choose from some of mine: Kentucky: Switzer Bridge, Colville Bridge, Oldtown Bridge or Goddard Bridge Ohio: Geeting Bridge, Roberts Bridge, North Pole Bridge, Spain Creek Bridge, or Swartz Bridge Indiana: Aqueduct, Bell's Ford Bridge, or Medora Bridge Minnesota: Zumbrota Bridge

Melissa Jurgensen 2278 Harrods Pointe Trace Lexington, KY 40514 highbridge_ky_1999@yahoo.com

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