Posted in History

Ohio Covered Bridges

In our visits to Ohio’s parks and preserves we’ve seen many wooden, covered bridges. Since wood was a cheap and plentiful in the 19th century, it was used in the construction of bridges across the many creeks and streams of Ohio. Unfortunately, a wooden bridge exposed to the elements – sun, rain, snow, ice has a a short lifespan – perhaps as short as 10 years. By adding wood siding and a pitched roof, the bridges lifespan can be greatly extended – perhaps as long as 80 or 100 years. This was the motivation for building covered bridges.

Mohican State Park Covered Bridge – Ashland County



With the advent of the automobile and newer materials such as steel and reinforced concrete, these bridges became obsolete and were gradually replaced. But because people find covered bridges to be picturesque and charming, there has been an effort to preserve the old ones. A few of these older bridges remain in service in low traffic areas. Many more have been moved to state, county, and local parks. Many that were in a state of disrepair have been refurbished and repainted. There have even been a few new covered bridges built in parks in recent years.

Over 100 covered bridges remain in the state of Ohio. The following is a sample of bridges we’ve seen and photographed on our trips around the state.

Hannaway Covered Bridge – Fairfield County
Johnston Covered Bridge – Fairfield County
Mink Hollow Covered Bridge – Fairfield County. Near Christmas Rocks Nature Preserve
Burgstresser / Dietz Covered Bridge – Franklin County. In Canal Winchester Park.
Rock Mill Covered Bridge – Fairfield County. Next to Rock Mill
Cemetery Road Covered Bridge – Greene County. Down the road from Glen Helen Nature Preserve.
George Hutchins Covered Bridge – Fairfield County in Alley Park
Hartman #2 Covered Bridge – Fairfield County in Lockville Park
The Rookery Covered Bridge – Geauga County, at The Rookery (County Park).
Clifton Mill Covered Bridge decorated for Christmas — The bridge is in Greene County at the privately owned Clifton Mill.
Bell Covered Bridge, Washington County
Harra Covered Bridge, Washington County
Hueston Woods Covered Bridge, Preble County, At Hueston Woods State Park (built in 2012)




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© Deborah Platt, Robert Platt and TrekOhio.com 2012 to 2021


7 thoughts on “Ohio Covered Bridges

  1. There is a covered bridge in Jefferson county, Ohio. It is on County Road 56 off of State Route 152 North.

    1. Actually I think the best angle for photographing these bridges is in the same plane as the bridge, but offset about 30 degrees from the entrance. Though, its not always possible to stand in the ideal spot.

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