Ashtabula County Ohio Covered Bridges

Prepared by George MyersMRB Consulting Party

Rev. 1 - December 29, 2011

Ashtabula County Covered Bridges

• The 18 covered bridges shown in this photographic presentation are located in Ashtabula County Ohio. John Smolen, the Friends of the MRB bridge expert, designed or assisted in the design and building of many of these bridges.

• Except for two of the bridges for which the substructure is unclear from the photos, the remaining 16 bridges are all supported on concrete, stone and/or steel substructures.

• Seventeen of the bridges span fresh water rivers or creeks and one is over dry land in a roadside park.

• Nine of the 18 bridges are on, or eligible for listing on, the National Register (NR).

Benetka Road Covered BridgeBuilt in early 1900s. Renovated in 1985 by the addition of a laminated arch. Note the concrete pier supports that probably also date to the early 1900s. NR eligible.

Caine Road Covered BridgeDesigned and built in 1986 by John Smolen in honor of Ashtabula County’s 175th anniversary. Supported on concrete piers at each end of the bridge.

Creek Road Covered BridgeBuilt c. 1889. Fully restored in 1995. Supported on stone and concrete piers some of which may date to the late 1880s. Central pier includes some steel support piling. NR eligible. Photo ©2003 Homefryes licensed under the Creative Commons license.

Olin’s or Dewey Road Covered BridgeBuilt in 1873. Renovated in 1985. Supported on three concrete piers. NR eligible.

Doyle Road or Mullen Covered BridgeBuilt in 1876. Laminated arch added in 1988. Supported on concrete piers which may date to the original bridge. NR eligible.

Giddings Road Covered BridgeBuilt in 1995 by John Smolen. Best Photo available. Bridge support appears to be concrete.

Graham Road Covered BridgeBuilt in 1867. Rebuilt from remnants of a bridge washed away in the 1913 flood. Moved from creek crossing in 1972 to a roadside park. Presently supported on concrete piers. No information on bridge support over creek prior to 1972.

Harpersfield Covered Bridge Built in 1868. Renovated by John Smolen in 1991-1992. Two wood spans and one steel span, the latter added after a 1913 flood. Wood spans supported on concrete piers and steel pilings. On NR.

Mechanicsville Road Covered BridgeBuilt in 1867. Believed to be the oldest of the County’s covered bridges. Renovated in 2002-03. Supported on two concrete piers and two stone abutments. NR eligible.

Middle Road Covered BridgeBuilt in 1868. Reconstructed in 1984. Supported on concrete and stone piers with steel I-beam stringers. NR eligible.

Netcher Road Covered BridgeBuilt in 1998. Designed by John Smolen. Probably built by John Smolen. Supported on two concrete piers.

Riverdale Road Covered BridgeBuilt in 1874. Floor rebuilt in 1981, glulam girders added and east end concrete abutment replaced in 1987. West end abutment is probably concrete from the 1874 bridge. On NR.

Root Road Covered BridgeBuilt in 1868. Completely restored in 1982-1983 with new concrete center pier. Supported on concrete and/or stone piers. NR eligible.

South Denmark Covered BridgeBuilt in 1890. Bypassed in 1975 in favor of an adjacent steel bridge. Supported on concrete block or stone piers.

State Road Covered BridgeOriginal bridge built in 1831 and stood until 1898. Rebuilt in 1983. First covered bridge designed and built by John Smolen. Supported on concrete and stone piers.

Windsor Mills Covered BridgeBuilt in 1867. Closed in the 1980s. Renovated 2002-2004. Bridge rests on cut stone abutments, one sandstone from a nearby quarry and the other from creek stone. Also has a central concrete pier. On NR.

Smolen-Gulf Covered BridgeBuilt in 2008. Designed by and named for John Smolen. Supported on concrete piers and abutments containing 7,000,000 pounds of concrete and 500,000 pounds of steel. At 613 feet, it is the longest covered bridge in the U.S.

Smolen-Gulf Covered BridgeAdditional photos of the Smolen-Gulf Covered Bridge showing different views of the concrete piers supporting the bridge.

West Liberty Street Covered BridgeNew covered bridge being built in 2011 in Windsor Township. Only 18 feet long, yet supported on concrete abutments.

Sources:• Ashtabula Covered Bridge Festival - http://

www.coveredbridgefestival.org/bridges.htm• Ohio Covered Bridges List – Dale Travis http://

www.dalejtravis.com/cblist/cboh.htm• Ashtabula County Ohio Covered Bridges – www.bridgehunter.com• http://www.usatoday.com/educate/college/arts/articles/20051204.htm• http://

www.experience-ohio-amish-country.com/west-liberty-street-covered-bridge.html

• Covered Bridges of Ashtabula County of Ohio – Robert Folk http://www.bridges-covered.com/ohio_ash.html

• Ashtabula County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau - http://www.visitashtabulacounty.com/cgi-bin/accvb.pl