Thursday, April 17, 2008

The Bridge of Clermont County

April's recent comment reminded me that I haven't done a post about my home county recently. Here's a quickie on the last covered bridge in Clermont County. It is in Stonelick Township, in the northern part of the county.


I like covered bridges that are still functional. There are some old bridges in Ohio that are deemed unsafe for travel and many new ones that are purely decorative, but to see an old covered bridge that is still being used for its original purpose connects me to the past, and I just have to drive it.


The Stonelick bridge was built in 1878. It is 140 feet long, and uses 12 Howe trusses, crossed wooden members with vertical iron rods (a method which Howe patented in 1840) for support. It was placed on the National Register of Historical Places in 1974.

I like traveling across covered bridges, but I must say that the Stonelick Bridge is the most unfriendly covered bridge I have ever visited. These bridges are inherently tricky to drive, since they are usually one-lane wide and seem to always have limited line of sight. This bridge's neighbors must be tired of tourists gumming up the works, since the road on either side of the bridge is marked with barricades and signs saying "No Parking," "No Trespassing" and "Bridge Under Video Surveillance."


Call the Department of Homeland Security. KatDoc parked illegally to take these bridge photos.

3 comments:

KGMom said...

Covered bridges are wonderful. Pennsylvania used to have quite a few, but we now have fewer and fewer. Too much urban sprawl--takes out everything in its path.

Susan Gets Native said...

RAPTOR has a covered bridge. With one lane and limited visibility. What is up with that?
We make quite a pair. I get accosted at power plants for looking at fake owls and you are all naughty with the picture-taking.

entoto said...

Get out! You did not park illegally to take that photo? The jack-booted thugs are going to come and ticket you or something!

That is a lovely bridge. I'll have to look up the Howe trusses.