Covered Bridges and the People Who Built Them
Covered Bridges and the People Who Built Them
When people think of covered bridges, they usuallyenvision a wooden bridge with picturesque, romanticdetails spanning smooth, calm waters. True in mostparks and private estates, but the building of coveredbridges were originally done for practical reasons -protection and development.
In the early days of young America, barges and ferrieswere the only means of transportation in what was thena land filled with creeks, streams, and rivers. Asvillages and towns grew, there was an apparent need toprovide safer and more economical means to transporthuge numbers of people and merchandize acrosswaterways. This mandated the construction of bridgesfor the growth and development of towns which grew onboth sides of a river.
The early ones were crudely built and its span wasusually that of the timber used to build it. As theneed grew, so did the bridges, and the more peoplegetting into the business of bridge-building, the moreinnovative it became. People started using trusses andarches to lengthen bridges and soon they started touse connected stringers.
Since bridges were not cheap to build and thematerials and manpower used in the process started tocost more as the years went by, there was a pressingneed to make sure the bridges last longer. Wood wasthe main construction material used back then and iteasily rots if exposed to extreme weather conditionsduring winters and summers. To protect the bridges’trusses and joints, it was a good idea to put roofsand walls - and little did the first innovators knowthat it would soon become the trend all over thecountry. The first covered bridge was just partiallycovered.
It was in New York during the early part of thecentury. But after 1830, the construction of woodencovered bridges spread quickly all over America andthere were probably thousands built throughout the19th century. Now the industry has a very rich pastwith people making their names in history because ofthe bridges they built.
Benton Jones is the most famous builder of coveredbridges throughout the nineteenth century. His worksinclude the famous bridges in Madison County whichwere featured in an academy award winning movie. Manyof his work survived the ravages of time andcommercialization and are now preserved as historicbridges. His best work which still stands is theRoseman Covered Bridge which has lots of romanticizedstories that has made it one of the most famousbridges in American history.
Another amazing story about the people who builtcovered bridges was that of Horace King, a slave whogrew up in South Carolina and was one of the mostrespected names in bridge building. King learned theart of building bridges from his master, John Godwin.For sixteen years the two of them built bridgestogether in states like Alabama, Georgia, and theirhometown South Carolina.
But during the difficult years of the 1940s, King wasgranted his freedom by Godwin as a sign of friendshipand partnership. The two continued to build goodbridges all over the country until the year Godwindied. After that, three of King’s sons joined him inthe bridge-building business. The Kings went on tobecome one of the most respected families in thebusiness of bridge construction, building strong,sturdy bridges that still stand today. In Georgia,most of the remaining bridges were built by the Kingsand are considered historic pieces protected by theNational Registry of Historic Places.
Covered bridges have a rich history in America, andfortunately these days, they are treated like nationaltreasures protected by law and are preserved to beenjoyed by generations to come.
When people think of covered bridges, they usuallyenvision a wooden bridge with picturesque, romanticdetails spanning smooth, calm waters. True in mostparks and private estates, but the building of coveredbridges were originally done for practical reasons -protection and development.
In the early days of young America, barges and ferrieswere the only means of transportation in what was thena land filled with creeks, streams, and rivers. Asvillages and towns grew, there was an apparent need toprovide safer and more economical means to transporthuge numbers of people and merchandize acrosswaterways. This mandated the construction of bridgesfor the growth and development of towns which grew onboth sides of a river.
The early ones were crudely built and its span wasusually that of the timber used to build it. As theneed grew, so did the bridges, and the more peoplegetting into the business of bridge-building, the moreinnovative it became. People started using trusses andarches to lengthen bridges and soon they started touse connected stringers.
Since bridges were not cheap to build and thematerials and manpower used in the process started tocost more as the years went by, there was a pressingneed to make sure the bridges last longer. Wood wasthe main construction material used back then and iteasily rots if exposed to extreme weather conditionsduring winters and summers. To protect the bridges’trusses and joints, it was a good idea to put roofsand walls - and little did the first innovators knowthat it would soon become the trend all over thecountry. The first covered bridge was just partiallycovered.
It was in New York during the early part of thecentury. But after 1830, the construction of woodencovered bridges spread quickly all over America andthere were probably thousands built throughout the19th century. Now the industry has a very rich pastwith people making their names in history because ofthe bridges they built.
Benton Jones is the most famous builder of coveredbridges throughout the nineteenth century. His worksinclude the famous bridges in Madison County whichwere featured in an academy award winning movie. Manyof his work survived the ravages of time andcommercialization and are now preserved as historicbridges. His best work which still stands is theRoseman Covered Bridge which has lots of romanticizedstories that has made it one of the most famousbridges in American history.
Another amazing story about the people who builtcovered bridges was that of Horace King, a slave whogrew up in South Carolina and was one of the mostrespected names in bridge building. King learned theart of building bridges from his master, John Godwin.For sixteen years the two of them built bridgestogether in states like Alabama, Georgia, and theirhometown South Carolina.
But during the difficult years of the 1940s, King wasgranted his freedom by Godwin as a sign of friendshipand partnership. The two continued to build goodbridges all over the country until the year Godwindied. After that, three of King’s sons joined him inthe bridge-building business. The Kings went on tobecome one of the most respected families in thebusiness of bridge construction, building strong,sturdy bridges that still stand today. In Georgia,most of the remaining bridges were built by the Kingsand are considered historic pieces protected by theNational Registry of Historic Places.
Covered bridges have a rich history in America, andfortunately these days, they are treated like nationaltreasures protected by law and are preserved to beenjoyed by generations to come.
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