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Covered bridges are great historical pieces that are

protected by law these days. In the United States,

there are at least 200 covered bridges registered

under the National Registry of Historic Places because

of their important role in a town’s or county’s

history.

Most of the covered bridges still being used today are

under the protection of the government and cannot be

easily demolished or reconstructed without the prior

permission of a local board set up to oversee the

maintenance and preservation of these historic land

marks. Most of them were built in the early nineteenth

century when there was a huge movement of people from

coastal cities toward the interior of the country

where there are a lot of creeks, streams, and raging

rivers. As towns developed, there was an apparent need

for people to be connected and thus covered bridges

were constructed.

But did you know that covered bridges’ history dates

back at least two thousand years? There were ancient

covered bridges in China and even in Babylon 780 years

before the birth of Christ. These ancient covered

bridges, according to written history, were more like

architectural masterpieces used to accentuate the

landscape of imperial palaces and gardens. But they

also served a more practical purpose: covered bridges

were perfect for protecting palaces and important

places from being stormed by rebels or invading

armies. Some ancient covered bridges were made of

stone and because of its walls and ceilings, were

perfect spots to hide from arrows and spears while

fighting.

In America, covered bridges first appeared in the

early part of the 1800’s. The first was built by

Theodore Burr in New York. His name is also being used

these days as a name of a truss usually used in

building covered bridges: the Burr truss. The bridge

spanned the Hudson River and was named the Waterford

Bridge.

Waterford lasted for over a hundred years but since

then the idea of covered bridges became more popular

and started to gain popularity in the western part of

the country. The first and second covered bridges in

recorded American history can be found in Oregon City

where they have become important infrastructures in

joining communities developing in both sides of the

river. They were eventually destroyed by heavy

flooding in 1853.

Aside from the beauty and practicality of covered

bridges, they were also a necessary move in ensuring

the economic development of towns and villages in

early America. In the days prior to their

construction, ferries were the only ways to go around

towns developing on opposite sides of a river. Because

of the importance of connecting townspeople to

important places like schools, government offices, and

churches, ferries had the monopoly in transportation

and could charge people, especially businessmen who

needed to move heavy loads of merchandise, absurd

amounts as they wanted.

That in turn created a demand from townspeople to the

local government asking them to build bridges. Since

financing the construction cost a lot, people

entertained the idea of protecting these bridges with

roofs and walls. Exposed wood can deteriorate quickly

when exposed to harsh weather conditions, and since it

was expensive to build bridges, taxpayers wanted them

to be protected. And that ushered in the era of

covered bridges in America.

Covered bridges also provided jobs for people in towns

where they were built. And soon architects and

carpenters were competing on innovative ideas. One

idea was to make covered bridges look like barns as to

make livestock crossing it more comfortable, avoiding

dangerous stampedes common when forcing animals to

cross rivers. Since the early 19th century, covered

bridges have slowly made its mark in towns’ history

and though it experienced a slow decline due to rapid

commercialization and the introduction of cement and

other modern building materials, covered bridges are

now considered to be historic pieces worth preserving.

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