pastnews.notes11

Return to First Page

The NYSCBS is holding a raffle for a covered bridge blanket, the drawing to take place at the November 2013 meeting. For details and photo, go to http://www.nycoveredbridges.org

December 5, 2012 This site carries stories about four of Kentucky's covered bridges taken from the Fall issue of Kentucky Humanities Magazine. The site also features striking artist's renditions of each bridge

The article includes the Goddard Bridge, KY-35-06; Dover Bridge, KY-81-01; Oldtown Bridge, KY-45-02#2; and Beach Fork Bridge, KY-115-01.

For the stories and and paintings of the bridges, go to: http://www.kyforward.com/2012/12/kentuckys-remaining-covered-bridges-ripe-with-history-providing-glimpse-of-storied-past/

Horton, AL, November 21, 2012 - The Hortons Mill Covered Bridge is the last of three to be restored in Blount County. Two others, the Easley Bridge, AL-05-12, and the Swann Bridge, AL-05-05, were reopened to traffic earlier this month.

Work will be completed on the Hortons Mill Bridge in the next couple of months, weather permitting.

The 203-foot bridge was built in 1934 to cross the Cavert Prong in two spans using the Town Truss.

For the story and photo, go to:http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/11/horton_mill_covered_bridge_in.html

Hillsgrove, PA. November 21, 2012 - The Hillsgrove covered bridge will reopen to traffic today. The bridge was severely damaged by Tropical Storm Lee in September, 2011.

According to the World Guide to Covered Bridges, published by the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, the 186-foot Hillsboro Bridge was originally built in 1850 to cross Loyalsock Creek using the Burr Arch Truss.

For the story, go to: http://thedailyreview.com/news/covered-bridge-reopens-for-deer-season-1.1406613

Danville, PA, November 19, 2012 - Montour County's commissioners are working toward getting the county's Old Keefers Mill Covered Bridge repaired.

The 75-foot bridge, built in 1853 to cross the Chillisquaque Creek using the Burr Arch Truss, was damaged during Tropical Storm Lee in September, 2011. It is estimated that $300,000 is required,having sustained major superstructure and abutment damage.

The commissioners will borrow money to repair the bridge and then be reimbursed for the work through the Pennsylvania Transportation Infrastructure Bank.

The local share is estimated at $46,875. The county can use money from its tourism fund and state liquid fuels fund to help pay for repairs to the span.

For the story, go to:http://dailyitem.com/panews/x1951900281/Covered-bridge-in-Montour-County-needs-300-000-repair

November 11, 2012, Blenhiem, NY - Volunteers have found nearly all the major pieces of the historic Blenheim Covered Bridge, which was destroyed by Tropical Storm Irene last year, but FEMA has turned down a proposal for funding to rebuild the span.

Last February, only a few pieces had been found downstream. Over the following months, volunteers searched for remnants of the 157-year-old bridge and have now found many of its structural parts and stored them in a barn.

Most of the bridge was found on the shores of the creek within six miles of where it was destroyed.

For the story, go to: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Follow-Up-Cause-of-Mansion-house-fires-still-4026792.php

November 01, 2012, Rapho-West Hempfield, PA - Work to put the Siegrist Mill Covered Bridge back in place over Chiques Creek can finally begin.

The county commissioners on Wednesday approved a contract worth $674,421 with Bulldog Construction of Coatesville to rebuild the 127-year-old span that was ripped off its moorings by floodwaters last year. Work on the bridge can begin immediately. The bridge is expected to be carrying traffic by next July.

The covered bridge was washed away Sept. 8, 2011, when Tropical Storm Lee dumped more than 15 inches of rain on northwestern Lancaster County.

For the story, go to: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/768273_Deal-sealed-to-replace-Siegrist-Mill-covered-bridge-over-Chiques-Creek.html

To read more, go to: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/768273_Deal-sealed-to-replace-Siegrist-Mill-covered-bridge-over-Chiques-Creek.html#ixzz2BlFKXvnO

October 27, 2012, Taftsville VT - Hi Joe-Thursday we placed concrete for 6 of the 8 temporary support piers. We'll get the remaining two next week and start our steel support structure as well. Weather permitting :-) Will keep you posted on the progress and any storm related issues.

October 31, 2012 - Our Taftsville project was spared any damage from Hurricane Sandy. We heeded the forecasts and placed concrete last week ahead of the storm (Sandy).

We experienced some high water but already had our cofferdam in place, so for the most part we were working in the dry except the raindrops falling on our heads. This area escaped the high winds and torrential rains others saw, and there was no power outage. We'll gladly take these high 60's temps in trade for a bit of rain in late October.

We have started the steel work on our temporary support structure and will continue working on that for the next few weeks. Will send you a few pics soon.

October 26, 2012, Rockville, IN - All bids offered Saturday for historic Billie Creek Village have been rejected, but buyers are still being sought.

Charlie Cooper, owner of the property and chairman of the nonprofit Billie Creek Village Inc., said Thursday he rejected all three of the bids received by Key Auctioneers of Indianapolis at an auction in the village's church.

"The reason why is, I want to keep the village all together. I don't want it split up into three parcels," he said, explaining his desire to see the living-history center in Rockville remain a place where school children can visit and learn.

For the story, go to: http://tribstar.com/news/x1400200316/Billie-Creek-auction-bids-turned-down

October 17, 2012, Allegany County, VA - The Humpback Bridge has been on the National Register of Historic Places for more than 40 years, but now the Humpback Bridge near Covington is a National Historic Landmark, announced Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

According to the designation, the Humpback Bridge is an outstanding example of 19th-century covered bridge construction and is the best surviving example of a timber multiple-kingpost truss, used for some of the earliest covered bridges in America.

Twenty-six other sites attained that designation as well. For the story, go to:
http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wdbj7-humpback-bridge-in-alleghany-county-designated-as-national-historic-landmark-20121017,0,5525309.story

October 8, 2012, Greenfield, MA - The Town of Greenfield has received a commitment by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to partially fund repairs to the Green River [or Pumping Station] Covered Bridge. The bridge is located on Eunice Williams Drive over the Green River.

During Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011, a flood event on the Green River scoured the east abutment of the bridge leading to its failure, and damaged structural timbers in the roof framing, trusses and sidewalk. A 150-foot section of the east approach road was washed away and made impassable. Floodwaters also caused the Town's water supply dam, which is immediately upstream of the bridge, to be overtopped and fail.

The Town of Greenfield has contracted with DuBois & King from Bedford, New Hampshire, an engineering firm with a specialty in covered bridges, to oversee emergency repairs to the bridge and to complete a total rehabilitation design

"Our first task after the flood was to jack up and stabilize the bridge on the existing abutments to prevent further damage and to save it from another flood event," said Sara Campbell, P.E. the Town's Engineering Superintendent and project manager. "Jacking and stabilization was completed last November. We then moved on to our next task of rebuilding the failed dam, which is a water supply for the Town. Dam rebuilding was completed in May of this year. We are now focused on our final task, which is to repair and rehabilitate the bridge, and reopen it to traffic," said Campbell. The next river crossing is 3 miles south at Nash's Mill Road, which is subject to frequent flooding.

"The Green River Covered Bridge, like most covered bridges has a history and story connected to the bridge that makes the bridge an integral part of the community and an interesting project to work on," said Robert H. Durfee, P.E., a nationally recognized covered bridge expert and Vice President for the engineering firm. "The bridge was reconstructed in 1972 with volunteer labor and donated materials and equipment from Town residents. "We are designing repairs to rehabilitate and preserve the bridge as well as a piece of Greenfield's history," said Durfee.

Repairs are being designed for the replacement or repair of roof framing, upper and lower lateral bracing, timber trusses, board siding, and bearings. Both abutments will be removed and replaced with new concrete abutments and wing walls. The east end of the bridge is to be raised 2 feet to enable greater capacity of the bridge to pass floodwaters without damage. The current estimate for design and construction of the repairs is $750,000."We are making steady progress on the design and permitting of the rehabilitation," said Campbell, "Coordination with numerous federal and state agencies is required for a project like this, which takes time. We hope to complete the design and permitting process soon, and bid the work late this fall. We are on track to repair and rehabilitate this bridge and open it to traffic in late fall 2013," said Campbell.

Thanks, Sawyer Sutton, Marketing Assistant, DuBois & King

October 1, 2012, Conway MA - Efforts are underway to allow cars to cross a 141-year-old covered bridge in Conway. The Recorder of Greenfield reports that the Board of Selectmen is backing the Conway Historical Commission's efforts to allow vehicles on the Burkville (or Conway) Covered Bridge. The 107-foot long bridge was built in 1871. It closed in 1985 due to structural deficiencies, but underwent a $1 million renovation that allowed it to reopen to pedestrians in 2006. The Historical Commission says that the bridge is strong enough to support vehicles and that reopening it would draw tourists and help residents.

October 1, 2012, Waterloo, Ontario - The Regional Municipality of Waterloo has restricted vehicle and buggy traffic on a 132-year-old West Montrose Covered Bridge, the only remaining covered bridge in Ontario.

"A floor beam that supports a portion of the bridge deck has failed likely due to overloading by heavy vehicles, despite weight restrictive signage," the regional government stated in a press release. "Accordingly, the Region is taking precautionary measures to restrict traffic until a repair can be made, which could take up to a couple of weeks."

For the story and a video, go to: http://www.dcnonl.com/article/id52005/--covered-bridge-north-of-waterloo-ontario-closed

September 26, 2012, Spencerville, IN - A semi-truck driver let his GPS lead him into the Spencerville (also known as the Coburn Bridge) breaking tie-beams and roof supports the length of the bridge.

The 160-foot Coburn Bridge was built in 1873 to cross the St. Joseph River using the Smith Truss.

For the story, go to: http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/Spencerville-Covered-Bridge-Damaged-171390411.html

September 24, 2012 - Many of you have already heard about the conference to be held in and around Dayton next June. It is hoped that you will attend if you possibly can, and that you will share this information with anyone else who might be at all interested in this important topic. I think most of the CB newsletter editors have been including this event in their publications, and trust you will continue to do so in each issue. Not only our esteemed professor friends, but also our engineer and builder friends, are invited to consider presenting a paper or otherwise participating in the presentations. [Please contact David Simmons with any thoughts or questions along those lines.] God willing, I hope to see you all in Dayton next June!

Erwinna, PA, September 11, 2012 - An oversize truck damaged the Erwinna Covered Bridge on Geigel Hill Road in Tinicum on Tuesday morning. The bridge is closed until further notice forcing state road officials to close the historic bridge until further notice. Heavy damage was done to the bridge's roof, portal entrance and upper bracing.

The Erwinna bridge was built in 1852 and rebuilt by PennDOT in 1996. It is 43 feet long, 19 feet wide and has an 11-foot height limit; it has no posted weight restriction.

For the story and photos, go to:
http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/palisades/tinicum-covered-bridge-damaged-by-truck/article_838d17a6-78e9-5815-9706-0f096219391e.html

Jackson County, OR, September 11, 2012 - The McKee Covered Bridge, closed to pedestrians last fall because of safety concerns, will be preserved, through a $491,048 grant from a Federal Grant and a pledged matching grant by the McKee Bridge Historical Society.

The federal grant is among 22 nationwide announced by the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program. The program provides about $8 million a year in grants to repair or rehabilitate covered bridges around the country.

The 112-foot McKee Bridge was built in 1917 to cross the Applegate River using a Howe Truss.

For the story and photo, go to: http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120828/NEWS/208280307

Indianapolis, IN, September 4, 2012 - Have you ever had a desire to own an historic village? In case you weren't aware - Billie Creek Village in Indiana is up for auction. See details below.

Bill,

I am the project manager for an auction of a Civil War Era Historic Village which has three covered bridges on the property. We will be holding this auction on the Saturday, October 20th, which is the last weekend of the Covered Bridge Festival in Parke County, IN. With your organization being so involved with that community of Covered Bridge enthusiasts I was hoping we could somehow get the word out to those in your organization, either by email or we will have a mailed flyer which will be sent out for pre-auction sale of the village and the antiques which are housed there. The pre-auction offers on the entirety are going to be accepted until September 20th. Below are the links to our website for the different auctions.

Pre-Auction Entirety: http://www.keyauctioneers.com/auction-detail/?id=187914

On-Site Real Estate: http://www.keyauctioneers.com/auction-detail/?id=187465

On-Site Antique: http://www.keyauctioneers.com/auction-detail/?id=186909

Please let me know if you have any additional questions. I look forward to hopefully getting the chance to contact your members with information on this opportunity.

Catawba County, NC, August 31, 2012 - Catawba County plans to link the Bunker Hill Covered Bridge to I-40 with a hiking trail. A park next to the bridge is also planned.

The work is part of a plan to build a 2.6-mile trail from the town of Claremont's city hall to the Interstate 40 rest stop and then on to the bridge. Claremont town manager Doug Barrick said the town expects to apply this fall for a Carolina Thread Trail grant that would help build a section of the Carolina Tread Trail between Claremont City Park and the I-40 rest stop, which has 350,000 visitors annually.

The county also wants to eventually build a park next to the bridge, located over Lyle Creek, two miles east of the Catawba County town of Claremont.

The Bolick family donated the bridge in 1985 to the Catawba County Historical Association. The county now plans to buy land from that same family to improve access to the site, said Mary George, assistant county planning director. The bridge was named for the nearby Bunker Hill Farm.

The 81-foot Bunker Hill Bridge was built in 1894 to cross Lyle Creek using a version of the Haupt Truss.

For the story, go to: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/08/31/3490380/catawba-county-plans-trail-from.html

Lancaster, PA, August 28, 2012 - Two people have been arrested for spray-painting graffiti on freshly painted Shearer's Mill covered bridge in Manheim.

Wendy Bucher, 21, of Manheim, and a 17-year-old were arrested for damaging Shearer's Covered Bridge in the borough's Veterans Memorial Park about 10 days ago.

The two were charged with institutional vandalism, which is a felony because the bridge is registered under the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission.

The bridge was damaged within a day of it being painted by more than a dozen volunteers from the Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Society of Pennsylvania.

Manheim employees removed the damage a day later. For the story, go to: http://www.ydr.com/state/ci_21420156/two-charged-spray-painting-manheim-covered-bridge

Lancaster County, PA, August 22, 2012 - Last Saturday members of The Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Society of Pennsylvania and a contracted painter painted Shearer's Bridge in Lancaster County.

A fresh coat of paint made a remarkable difference in the appearance of the bridge. Attached is a photo of the finished bridge taken Sunday.

On a sour note, when we visited the bridge on Sunday to take a photo we were saddened to see that a person or persons had vandalized the bridge with graffiti sometime between 9 p.m. Saturday night and noon Sunday. The graffiti was extensive. Manheim Township already has a volunteer who will remove all the graffiti and repaint areas as needed.

Below is a link to an article that appeared in Lancaster Online and Manheim Central about painting the bridge and about the graffiti. Gloria Smedley wrote the article about the painting and also submitted the three photos showing our group painting the bridge. The newspaper writer wrote the portion of the article about the graffiti and she took the graffiti photos. Click on the photo in the article and it should enlarge and then click "next" in the top right corner of the photo to advance to see all six of them. Go to:
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/717654_Vandals-mar-new-paint-on-bridge-in-Manheim.html

Westmorland County, PA, August 14, 2012 - The 162-year-old Bells Mill Bridge is undergoing a $157,000 maintenance project.

The bridge will be treated with fire retardent paint and the shingled roof will be replaced with a metal roof.

Route 3012 in Sewickley and State Route 3061 in South Huntingdon, locally known as Bells Mills Road - has been closed since July 30. Drivers should expect the project to last until the end of September.

The bridge was named for the Bell brothers who operated a gristmill in the 19th century, the bridge was built in 1850 by architect Daniel McCain in a burr arch truss design.

For the story, go to:
http://triblive.com/Search/?search=Bells+Mill&x=22&y=5

Read more:
http://triblive.com/news/2374377-74/bridge-covered-fitz-county-bells-maintenance-mills-bridges-foot-paint#ixzz26gLoLPuW

Tredyffrin Township, PA, August 7, 2012 - The $50,000 restoration Project scheduled for Historic Knox Covered Bridge in Valley Forge National Historical Park is planned to restore and enhance the historic Knox Covered Bridge on Yellow Springs Road in Valley Forge National Historical Park, will close the bridge for two weeks beginning, Monday, Aug. 20, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said.

Deteriorated wooden siding will be replaced with new painted wood. The bridge is expected to reopen by Aug. 31.

For the story, go to:
http://www.timesherald.com/article/20120807/NEWS01/120809577/restoration-project-scheduled-for-historic-knox-covered-bridge-in-valley-forge-national-historical-park

Jackson County, OH, August 2, 2012 - The Ohio Department of Transportation has been awarded $150,400 to help preserve the Johnson Road Covered Bridge in Jackson County.

The funds will be used to replace the floor systems, lateral bracing, siding, and the roof, and install new bearing blocks and to add fire protection.

Also known as the Crabtree Bridge, the 78-foot span was built in 1870 using the Smith Truss to cross the Little Scioto River.

For the story and photo, go to:
http://woub.org/2012/08/02/jackson-co-bridge-be-restored

Lancaster, PA, July 12, 2012 - Large trucks driving through any of the 22 Lancaster County-owned covered bridges had better learn to duck.

The county is installing "headache bars" to keep oversized trucks out of historic bridges. These are wooden beams suspended by chains from the tops of each entrance to a bridge.

County workers can install the beams themselves at a cost of $150 per bridge, cheap when compared to the expense required to repair damage to supports and siding done by oversized trucks.

For the story and photo, go to:
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/686646_Lancaster-County-installs--headache-bars--to-protect-22-covered-bridges.html

West Marlborough, PA, June 18, 2012 - PennDOT officials and architectural engineers met with residents who live near a damaged covered bridge to discuss the bridge's fate.

The bridge, known as Speakman Bridge No. 1 on Frog Hollow Road in East Fallowfield at Covered Bridge Road in West Marlborough, has been out of use since November, 2011, after a tractor-trailer crossed it, causing massive structural damage.

The bridge was slated to be rebuilt in 2005, but due to legal wranglings because the bridge sits on private land. PennDOT won't do construction on the bridge until it owns the land. The agency filed for eminent domain.

For the story and photo, go to:
http://www.dailylocal.com/article/20120618/NEWS01/120619563/report-covered-bridge-close-to-collapse

Peebles, OH, June 11, 2012 - Police in Adams County are looking for a car hauling vehicle which damaged the Harshaville Covered Bridge on Grace Run Road last week.

A witness reported a vehicle hauling three cars stopped before attempting to cross the bridge, then attempted a crossing.

A cable supporting the bridge snagged the top car, damaging it and the bridge. The truck backed away and left the scene.

For the story and photo, go to:
http://www.maysville-online.com/news/local/historic-bridge-damaged/article_38f48a61-0d08-58dd-818e-e7a6dc2543d0.html

Lancaster County, PA, May 10, 2012 - Another one. A tractor-trailer driver fitted his truck neatly into the Hunsecker Mill Covered Bridge (WGN 38-36-06#2) because his GPS told him he could.

The bridge is marked for 3 tons with a height limit of 13 feet 3 inches. The truck is 15 tons and 13 feet 6 inches high.

The driver was cited for his truck being overweight and for not obeying traffic signs.

A nearby property owner said traffic seems to have picked up on Hunsecker Road in recent years, attributing the increased traffic to GPS devices. For GPS users, Hunsecker Road appears as an attractive shortcut, despite that there's a single-lane covered bridge with a 3-ton weight restriction.

Hunsecker's Mill Bridge was built in 1848 to cross the Conestoga River using a 180-foot Burr Truss. It was destroyed in 1972 by Hurricane Agnes. The present bridge was built in 1975.

For the story of the GPS fiasco, go to:
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/645695_GPS-leads-to-truck-getting-stuck-beneath-bridge.html

Greenleaf, Ore. - Feb 2, 2012 - These structures are personal to people here in western Oregon because these hidden covered bridges offer free peace and quiet writes Dave Masko

Read about "Landscape Bridges," Covered bridges serve as travel destinations, How they are loved, How Covered bridges are personal, and more.

Go to:
http://www.huliq.com/10282/oregon-covered-bridges-offer-visitors-free-access-peace-and-quiet

Townshend, VT, February 13, 2012 - The Townshend Selectboard received notice from state agent Scott Newman last Wednesday that informed them the bridge, which connects State Forest Road and Route 30, would soon be closed to all traffic. The closure took place at 5 p.m. on Friday.

The bridge, Owned by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, has long been closed to vehicular traffic. The closure now iconveniences the local shool bus as the bridge has been a stop for the children living on State Forest Road across West River from Route 30.

For a photo and the story, go to:
http://www.reformer.com/ci_19952286?source=most_viewed

Guilford, Vt. Jan. 5, 2012 - The historic sign taken from the Green River Bridge on Christmas Eve was found by passers by leaning against the bridge Tuesday evening.

The sign was returned to the Town Clerk's Office where it will remain until a previously planned touchup is done.

Return to top