19th Century “THE AGE OF THE COVERED BRIDGE”
Popularly known as “Courting or Kissing Bridges”, covered bridges of the 18th-19th c were actually designed for very practical purposes. According to Leola B. Pierce in her book, Covered Bridges n Virginia, 2005, the earliest bridges dating back to the 1600’s were constructed with timber and logs laid across them to support wagon, horse, and foot traffic. For obvious reasons, they were called “corduroy” bridges and were usually held together with wooden pegs. As construction techniques improved in the 18th c, the bridges crossing rivers and streams became longer, wider (about 12 ft.), and higher (usually about 12 ft.) to accommodate tall farm wagons. They sometimes had metal strips called wheel strips which helped guide wagons across the bridge and prevented damage to the wooden timbers from metal wheels and horse hoofs.
Bridges were covered for several reasons. First, the covers protected the wooden structure from the effects of the weather reducing the cost of maintenance from rotting. Second, it made the bridges easier to use. The covers kept them dryer and less slippery from rain in the summer and from ice in the winter. Pierce says that early farmers felt that their farm animals were more willing to cross a covered bridge because it was like entering a barn.
BUT the more romantic reason for a covered bridge was to provide a dark place where a man could kiss his companion before reaching the other side or “if you made a wish, it would come true.”
Plains District claims the only remaining covered bridge in Rockingham County. Daniel Beidler of Athlone built The Beidler Bridge crossing Smith Creek in 1869. It is now located on private property and is not accessible to the public.
The Museum’s collection of Covered Bridge Artwork on display in the current exhibit, Early Travel in Plains District, includes the history of the three major bridges in the District: the one at Timberville, at Broadway, and at Athlone. The exhibit is free to the public and will be on display through December 2024.
COMING IN AUGUST
The second INDOOR YARD SALE
Friday and Saturday August 30—31 from 8 am—1pm.
PLAINS DISTRICT MEMORIAL MUSEUM
PO Box 601
176 N. Main St., Timberville VA 22853
540-896-7900
Email: plainsmuseum@comcast.net
Website: plainsmuseum.com
