West Virginia Covered Bridges (build, camera, historical)

[Lone Star Rebel]

Here's the answer to why they are covered. I looked this up this morning.

Why Covered?

[Lone Star Rebel]

Originally Posted by Hinton Bound

Originally Posted by harborlady
Purty pics, thanks for sharing. Why did they build them covered like that?

I heard that the bridges were covered so the horses would cross them without getting spooked by the height, or the noise of the water under them.

HB, I had heard something similar to that when I was back in Central PA in the Amish country. I did some research this morning and discovered that it in fact was the weather for the reason for covered bridges. Check the website above.

[David Kennedy]

Many of the great covered bridges were part of the Wheeling/Richmond Turnpike highway program of the 1850's. The route in the north central area of the state followed generally the extension of the B&O Railroad. The covered bridge at Barrackville was a part of this program...great popular trees from a nearby farm were felled and slabbed into beams over 165' long...these were watered with boiling water and pulled into arches for that bridge. The bridges built by the Chenoweth's were as outstanding as the 'New River' bridge and innovative and long lasting...being used until the 1980's.
I remember the ruins of the Rt 50 bridge near Rowlesburg...burned competely
later by arsonists..It was identical to the Philipi bridge but a twin bridge of that model.
They are protected treasures...

[AmericanRoadGirl]

My grandparents lived in Grant Town. Sometimes we would go to their house via "The Rivesville way" from seeing family in Greentown. There were other times we'd go "The Barrackville way" from where we lived in Fairmont. As a child, it was certainly a treat each and every time we crossed the covered bridge. There was a certain sound to it and everything. I can hear it now in my head. Great thread. Thanks for the memories.

[Lone Star Rebel]

Yes, I agree. The sounds of crossing a covered bridge leaves lasting memories. You can hear every creak & groan when crossing. I remember as a boy riding in the back of my father's pick-up and crossing a few covered bridges. Those were the days!

[Lone Star Rebel]

Here's another site confirming the design was for weather reasons.

Why Are Covered Bridges Covered

[David Kennedy]

Greentown:

Great families there...Hardesty's and Campbell's...was named that as a coal camp...When the mine houses were built a railroad car was delivered to the siding with the paint...an entire boxcar of green paint and every board on every single house was painted the same color green....Greentown could not have had any other name.

[David Kennedy]

Years ago there was a small covered bridge near Grant Town at Ballah Chapel. Where the old road took the short cut across the creek...I must have been very very young as I only went that way once with my grandfather..a flood washed it away and the newer end of the road was extended up to the mouth of Robinson Run..

another small bridge existed at Baxter where Woods Run emptied into Paw Paw Creek but that went out with a later flood...We are lucky to have any left in WV...

[Janipoo]

Originally Posted by David Kennedy

Years ago there was a small covered bridge near Grant Town at Ballah Chapel. Where the old road took the short cut across the creek...I must have been very very young as I only went that way once with my grandfather..a flood washed it away and the newer end of the road was extended up to the mouth of Robinson Run..

another small bridge existed at Baxter where Woods Run emptied into Paw Paw Creek but that went out with a later flood...We are lucky to have any left in WV...

I think they should rebuild them just for historical purposes. I know there is a bridge in Paw Paw (wasn't covered) but it was a wooden one, you can't beat the sound they make when you drive over. Anyway, they just built a new one a year or so ago. It is all modern (concrete and all) you barely notice that it goes over the train tracks. I just think it lost it's character.

[harborlady]

Originally Posted by Lone Star Rebel

Here's another site confirming the design was for weather reasons.

Why Are Covered Bridges Covered

saw both, and ty for enlightenment.