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The History of Covered Bridges

By: Chris Huddle

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Covered bridges are great historical pieces that are preserved by law these days. Because of their important role in a town's or county's history, there are at least 200 covered bridges registered under the National Registry of Historic Places in the United States.

Most of the covered bridges still being used today are under the safeguard of the government. They cannot be easily demolished or reconstructed without the previous consent of a local board set up to manage the maintenance and preservation of these historic landmarks.

As towns grew up, there was an obvious need for people to be linked, and thus covered bridges were constructed. Most of them were built in the early nineteenth century when there was a huge movement of people from coastal cities toward the heart of the country where there are a lot of creeks, streams, and raging rivers.

The history of covered bridges 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 older bridges, according to written history, were more like architectural masterpieces used to emphasize the landscape of imperial palaces and gardens. They also served a more practical purpose: covered bridges were ideal for protecting palaces and important places from being attacked 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 showed up in the early part of the 1800's. The first was built by Theodore Burr in New York. Burr was also the creator of a truss intended for use in covered bridges that bears his name. The bridge spanned the Hudson River and was named the Waterford Bridge. It lasted for over a hundred years.

Aside from the beauty and practicality of covered bridges, they were also a necessary move in ensuring the financial development of towns and villages in early America. Before their advent, ferries were the only ways to go around towns developing on opposite sides of a river. Because of the importance of connecting townspeople to
central places like schools, government offices, and churches, ferries had the domination in transportation and could charge citizens and businessmen as large 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 shielding these bridges with roofs and walls. Exposed wood can deteriorate swiftly
when exposed to harsh weather conditions, and since it was costly to build bridges, taxpayers wanted them to be protected. And that ushered in the era of covered bridges in America.

Soon, architects and carpenters were working to develop innovative ideas for new bridges. Jobs were also created for people in places where they were constructed. Since dangerous stampedes were always a possibility when making animals cross rivers, one idea was to make covered bridges look like barns to make the animals at ease.

Since the early 1800's, covered bridges have slowly made their mark in the history of towns and cities throughout the country. Though it experienced a slow falling off due to rapid commercialization and the introduction of cement and other modern building materials, covered bridges are now regarded to be historic pieces worth preserving.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

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