every october on the second weekend, there is a covered bridge festival in ashtabula county. i try to get there at about the time that the leaves have turned so that there is a beautiful backdrop for the 17 covered bridges.
this year i waited with anticipation, and the time is finally here. with map in hand, and GPS plugged in, my friend bob and i headed out to find each one of them.
i was surprised at how many dirt roads there are still! and the map that we had was haphazard in their placement...yet we managed to locate and critique each one.
since there are 17 of them, and i got to each one of them, i will make 3 separate postings so as not to bore you with too many of them at once. each of them is unique, both in size and style.
1. benetka road covered bridge was built in the early 1900s. it is 138 feet long and has a clearance of 11 feet 6 inches. the laminated arch was added during the renovation in 1985.
2. the creek road covered bridge was renovated in 1994. its construction date is unknown. it sits 25 feet above conneaut creek and features town lattice design.
3. the giddings road bridge was built in 1995. it is 107 feet long and has a clearance of 15 feet 6 inches. it is the third "new" bridge built in the county, and was built with pratt truss construction.
4. the mechanicsville bridge was built in 1867 and is believed to be the oldest covered bridge in the county. it is 156 feet long and has a clearance of 8 feet, although it is currently by-passed.
it looked as though it had a roof replacement, possibly corrugated steel.
5. the harpersfield bridge built in 1868 is one of the longest bridges in ohio at 228 feet long. it has a clearance of 12 feet, and is built with howe truss construction. it is listed on the national register of historic places.
6.the graham road bridge was built in 1913 from remnants of a bridge washed downstream in a flood. it is currently by-passed, so travel by vehicle across is not possible. it now sits on property belonging to ashtabula county metroparks.
this year i waited with anticipation, and the time is finally here. with map in hand, and GPS plugged in, my friend bob and i headed out to find each one of them.
i was surprised at how many dirt roads there are still! and the map that we had was haphazard in their placement...yet we managed to locate and critique each one.
since there are 17 of them, and i got to each one of them, i will make 3 separate postings so as not to bore you with too many of them at once. each of them is unique, both in size and style.
1. benetka road covered bridge was built in the early 1900s. it is 138 feet long and has a clearance of 11 feet 6 inches. the laminated arch was added during the renovation in 1985.
3. the giddings road bridge was built in 1995. it is 107 feet long and has a clearance of 15 feet 6 inches. it is the third "new" bridge built in the county, and was built with pratt truss construction.
4. the mechanicsville bridge was built in 1867 and is believed to be the oldest covered bridge in the county. it is 156 feet long and has a clearance of 8 feet, although it is currently by-passed.
it looked as though it had a roof replacement, possibly corrugated steel.
5. the harpersfield bridge built in 1868 is one of the longest bridges in ohio at 228 feet long. it has a clearance of 12 feet, and is built with howe truss construction. it is listed on the national register of historic places.
6.the graham road bridge was built in 1913 from remnants of a bridge washed downstream in a flood. it is currently by-passed, so travel by vehicle across is not possible. it now sits on property belonging to ashtabula county metroparks.
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