Covered bridges are beautiful historic bridges that once dotted the American landscape. Although covered bridges weren’t invented in the United States, Americans began building them in the early 19th century. After the industrial revolution took place, stronger bridges made of steel and iron replaced these covered bridges.
The following is a history of covered bridges in America:
1805:
- The first covered bridge in America is built by Timothy Palmer when he put a roof on the new Schuylkill Permanent Bridge in Philadelphia.
1814:
- The longest covered bridge in history is built across the Susquehanna River in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
1817:
- On April 4, inventor Theodore Burr is awarded a patent for his arch and truss bridge design, which is now known as the Burr Arch Truss bridge design.
1820:
- Architect and civil engineer, Ithiel Town, patents the lattice truss design used to build covered bridges.
1825-1826:
- Hyde Hall Bridge is built in Cooperstown, New York. The bridge still exists today and is considered the oldest covered bridge in America.
1832:
- On February 5, the longest covered bridge in history is destroyed by ice and flood waters in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
1870:
- By the 1870s, there are more than 10,000 covered bridges in America, most of which are built between 1825 and 1875.
1900:
- Between 1820 and 1900, around 1,500 covered bridges are built in Pennsylvania alone.
- By the early 1900s, the building of covered bridges decreased drastically due to the invention of steel, iron and concrete which were used to build bigger, wider and stronger bridges. To make way for these modern bridges, many covered bridges are demolished, moved to another location or abandoned.
1927:
- Catastrophic floods in Vermont destroy approximately 100 of the 700 covered bridges in the state.
1930:
- Throughout the 1930s, construction worker Milton S. Graton restores thousands of historic covered bridges in America.
1940:
- By 1940, there are fewer than 200 covered bridges remaining in Vermont.
1953:
- John Diehl, the chairman of the Ohio Covered Bridge Committee, invents a numbering system for cataloging the remaining number of covered bridges.
1956:
- The National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges publishes the first issue of the World Guide to Covered Bridges which includes a list of all of the remaining covered bridges in the world.
1959:
- The National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges publishes the second issue of the World Guide to Covered Bridges.
1965:
- The National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges publishes the third issue of the World Guide to Covered Bridges.
1968-69:
- Milton S. Graton and his son make history when they build Middle Bridge in Woodstock, Vermont, which is the first new covered bridge built in America in the 20th century.
1972:
- The National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges publishes the fourth issue of the World Guide to Covered Bridges.
1980:
- The National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges publishes the fifth issue of the World Guide to Covered Bridges.
- By 1980, there are only four covered bridges remaining in Tennessee.
1989:
- The National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges publishes the sixth issue of the World Guide to Covered Bridges.
1991:
- The Smith Rapids Covered Bridge is built in Wisconsin.
1996:
- By 1996, there are only 106 covered bridges remaining in Vermont.
1997;
- The Springwater Volunteer Covered Bridge is built in Wisconsin.
2002:
- In 2002, there only around 11 covered bridges remaining in California.
2003:
- By 2003, there only 12 covered bridges remaining in Massachusetts.
2006:
- By 2006, there are only 54 covered bridges remaining in New Hampshire.
2009:
- The National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges publishes the seventh issue of the World Guide to Covered Bridges.
2015:
- By 2015, there are only six covered bridges remaining in Maryland.
2021:
- The National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges publishes the eighth issue of the World Guide to Covered Bridges.
2024:
- Today, only about 740 covered bridges remain in America and the majority are located in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Vermont, Indiana, New Hampshire, and Oregon.
Sources:
Aldrich, Ian. “The Man Who Saves Covered Bridges.” NewEngland.com, 25 Oct. 2013, newengland.com/yankee/magazine/man-who-saves-covered-bridges/
“The River: a Corridor and a Barrier Lancaster-York Heritage Region.” Historical Marker Database, hmdb.org/m.asp?m=170317
“On this Day in History: Columbia’s first bridge across the Susquehanna destroyed.” Uncharted Lancaster, unchartedlancaster.com/2022/02/05/on-this-day-in-history-columbias-first-bridge-across-the-susquehanna-destroyed/
“Six Covered Bridges.” New England Historical Society, newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/six-covered-bridges/
“Covered Bridge Trivia.” National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, coveredbridgesociety.org/cb-faq.html
“History of Covered Bridges in America.” Historical Marker Database, hmdb.org/m.asp?m=214354
“Historic Bridges.” State Historic Sites, historicsites.vermont.gov/historic-bridges
“Preserving America’s historical covered bridges.” Institute for Transportation, 12 Aug. 2014, intrans.iastate.edu/news/preserving-americas-historical-covered-bridges/
“Covered Bridges.” NH.gov, nh.gov/folklife/learning-center/traditions/covered-bridges.htm
“Covered Bridge.” Britannica, britannica.com/technology/covered-bridge
Nelson, Lee H. A Century of Oregon Covered Bridges: 1851 – 1952. Oregon Historical Society, 1960.
Longfellow, Rickie. “Ohio’s Vanishing Covered Bridges.” Federal Highway Administration, fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/back0804.cfm
“Covered Bridges: Spanning the American Landscape.” Smithsonian Institute, sites.si.edu/s/archived-exhibit?topicId=0TO36000000Tz6sGAC