Chasing Covered Bridges: And How to Find Them
By Paul Parrott
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Chasing Covered Bridges - Paul Parrott
CHASING COVERED BRIDGES
CHASING COVERED BRIDGES
AND
HOW TO FIND THEM
By Paul Parrott
www.turnerpublishing.com
Copyright © 2005 Turner Publishing Company
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Turner Publishing Company Staff:
Keith Steele: Publishing Consultant
Charlotte Harris: Project Coordinator
Library of Congress Control No.
2005927922
ISBN: 978-1-56311-993-4
0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My wife, Dee, without whose love and help I could not have hunted and found these hundreds of bridges. My entire family and so many friends who finally convinced me that somehow I could plan and write this book. My deceased friend, Jimmy Shepherd, whose interest in the Kentucky covered bridges helped to get me started on this wonderful journey. To God Almighty who provided me with health, finances, and so graciously provided us with safe passage throughout thousands of miles of travel. And to the National Society for Preservation of Covered Bridges for so graciously allowing me to use their World Guide to Covered Bridges in preparing the how to find section of this book.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Words and Abbrevations
Truss Types
The Hunt
Bridges
Alabama
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Guides & Maps
Covered Bridges of the United States
Index
INTRODUCTION
As I view these proud old structures, I can almost feel that I am reliving a lot of the past history of our great country. They represent a very important time in the growth and development of the America we love, enjoy and often just seem to take for granted. It is my sincere hope that I can somehow help all who read this, and those who as a result of the reading take more time to really see and appreciate not just the covered bridges of which I write, but also the greatness of our entire country. No source of information on the bridges is rarely entirely completely correct, but so nearly so as to enable me to find over eight hundred.
WORDS AND ABBREVATIONS
OPEN - in use for vehicular traffic
CLOSED - closed to all but foot traffic
BUILT - where records of dates of completion are known
TRUSS TYPES
K.P. - king post
MKP - multiple king post
BURR or ARCH - trusses with supporting arches
QP - queen post
SMITH - name of truss designer
LONG - name of truss designer
HOWE - name of truss designer
PADDLEFORD - name of truss designer
WARREN - name of truss designer
PDLFD - paddleford
THE HUNT
In 1991, I photographed my first covered bridge by chance while traveling inland from the Oregon coast to Crater Lake National Park. This was of little interest to me at the time. Sometime later a friend who was interested in covered bridges, especially in Kentucky, got me slightly interested in the structures, and I joined the now defunct Kentucky Covered Bridges Association. In 1994 while searching the Rand McNally Atlas for points of interest to see on one of our many trips west, I noticed a red dot and the words covered bridges on the Madison County section of the Iowa map. We detoured to the Winterset area and they were celebrating the filming of the movie, The Bridges of Madison County. I took photos of five, but somehow missed the Roseman covered bridge which was the prime source of the story. Quite frankly I was just as interested in John Wayne’s boyhood home in Winterset as I was in the covered bridges at that time, but the seed of interest had been planted. In 1996 I had a severe bout with depression and anxiety and during the recovery period I started phoning various state tourism bureaus and from or through them gained a fair amount of information from those that had covered bridges and their locations and started planning trips. Starting in February 1997 starting in Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine ending in Pennsylvania in early October with a total of approximately 210 covered bridges seen and photographed, several instances of interest occurred. During these trips, once in Indiana, we arrived at a very nice bridge during early morning fog. While waiting for the fog to clear enough to get a photo, a situation with all the appearance of a drug deal developed, but no one seemed concerned by or with us. While searching for another Indiana bridge, the road signs were just steel posts with numbers, which were often bent and twisted, so it was not easy to decide which gravel road to take causing us to get quite lost with no one in sight to ask directions. After passing the same little burg three times, Dee (my wife) said Paul if we go through here one more time they will require us to take up residence.
We did, however, find someone who could direct us. When we found it I said Aha! There you are,
and told Dee it seemed to say Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you.
Something I would repeat many times the next few years. Once in Vermont, we were lost while looking for a certain bridge. We stopped at a quick stop station. I asked the attendant if he knew where this bridge was by name. His answer was yes
he knew there was one close by but up here they are kind of like ladies of the night and we don’t pay a lot of attention to them. We arrived in Maine on the last weekend of September when the leaves were just getting in full color. We had planned to stay a day or two at Bar Harbor, but everywhere we called they were full up. We stayed at a little motel up in the hills and started back toward New York the next morning looking for a place to stay. Finally at St. Albans, Vermont the Cadillac Motel attendant said all she had left was the bridal suite with red décor and lots of mirrors. We decided this was not for a couple like us in our seventies. So she said well we could have her quarters but would have to be in before 11 p.m. and could not leave before 7 a.m., as the lobby would be locked. This was fine with us. The leaves are really beautiful in New England in the fall but it is best to have advance accommodations reserved. During 1998 and 1999 we made many trips to Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, California. Another trip to New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and a short trip into Quebec, Canada. We arrived at the border before 8:00 a.m. I am a early riser. Signs at the Canadian Station stated we could check in at either one of two towns. When the border station was not manned, we found one of them and was told we would need to go to the other. So I told Dee we would just go back to the USA and come back after 8:00 a.m, which we did. After talking to a very friendly guard at the Canadian station. I told him what we had done and he said uh oh, they will be looking for you. We had been caught on camera going both ways. He advised us to also go back and get cleared at the U.S. station. A very amused attendant was expecting