Covered Bridges

When you think of covered bridges, aren't you intrigued? These charming old structures from bygone days represent times different from ours. Long before steel beams and concrete, this type of bridge was made from wood and was enclosed to protect the decking boards from the elements. Four covered bridges remain in Missouri. Two years ago we saw Sandy Creek Covered Bridge and Burfordville Covered Bridge. To read about those in a previous post, click here. We recently went to Union Covered Bridge in Paris, MO.

As stated on the storyboard (shown below), "Union Covered Bridge is the only surviving example in Missouri of a covered bridge with the Burr Arch truss system. The bridge is 120 feet long, 17 feet 6 inches wide and has an entrance 12 feet high--just high enough to admit a wagon load of hay. Union Covered Bridge was completed in 1871 and was named for Union Church, which stood nearby."

Throughout its history, it has been restored twice (in 1967 and 1987) and then last year the state put a million dollars into structural and cosmetic repairs. We were told that it had suffered a great deal of graffiti damage. Although it has not carried vehicular traffic in 50 years, guests can still stroll across it when they visit.

This picture was taken when we were on the bridge, looking out one of the small "window" openings. As you can observe, the setting is lovely. 

Union Covered Bridge is an example of burr arch truss design. Below, it reads, "When Theodore Burr combined an arch and a series of kingposts, he developed a bridge truss that could be made much longer than any of the early tress designs, and yet could maintain the necessary strength."

On display at the foot of the bridge is the toll rate chart, which is interesting to read.

It is such a gift to have historic sites, such as these, preserved by the state and available for visitors. We plan to see the fourth covered bridge at some point in the future. 

Love builds bridges where there are none.

R.H. Delaney