The Covered Bridge: American Relic

The Covered Bridg e: American Relic by Rose Ann Meyer Covered bridge at Philippi, W. Va., built in 1852; served both North and South during the Civil War. It is still carrying major traffic today. They were majestic, inviting: a handy shelter on a rainy day, rising regally out of the mist; a solid refuge in a sudden snowstorm; a shady retreat from a hot summer's sun; an inviting darkness, where shy kisses could be exchanged. Too, their darkened interiors could be put to darker uses; more than one traveler unwillingly forked over his money in the blackness, and they were sometimes used as a temporary barracks during the Civil War. On the whole, however, the memories evoked by the rare sight of a covered bridge are pleasant ones. Not too many of the old bridges remain now. They met their eventual demises in a variety of ways: sudden floods, against which even their sturdy construction was no match; fires, which reduced the strong timber to ashes in short minutes ; mere old age, as their parts succumbed to the ravages of time; and an astonishing lack of foresight on the part of officialdom. Many of the old relics were preemptorily termed "unsafe" and hauled down; no thought seems to have been given to building a new concrete bridge for heavy traffic, while allowing 33 Bridge at Barrackville, W. Va. Probably built near the end of 1853 by Lemuel Chenoweth. the old bridge to remain standing. Many of those which do remain are there because local residents fought hard for their perservation, often in the face of an unreasonable haste to have them removed . Although the number of covered bridges remaining is pitifully small, they can be found by the diligent searcher. For example, Myrtle Auvil's Covered Bridges of West Virginia is an excellent guidebook for locating the 18 surviving West Virginia bridges. Besides listing specific location, it contains such gems as the following list of typical tolls (circa 1852): horse and rider, 10$; every led or driven horse, 5