Buckeye Furnace Covered Bridge
The covered bridge era in America was from the nineteenth century. The last covered bridge of this period was built by the State of Ohio in Vinton County in 1919, Bridges were enclosed to protect the wooden structural parts and decks from rain and snow and to prevent decay. Uncovered bridges would last about ten years, while covered bridges could last centuries.
Built in 1872, the Buckeye Furnace Bridge is historically important because it represents a truss built following the designs of one of Ohio's premier bridge builders, the Smith Bridge Company, which was among the first in the nation to make covered bridges an industrial product. This bridge was actually built by Dency, McCurdy, and Company, a local firm that purchased the rights to use Smith's design. The bridge is 68.5 feet long and 16 feet wide, with a 58.5 feet clear span.
This bridge used the Smith Truss plan, which was first patented in 1867 by Robert W. Smith of Tipp City (originally Tippecanoe), and later Toledo, Ohio. Smith would prefabricate a bridge in Toledo and ship the components to the erection site, or he would sell the parts to another builder-as was done in this case-or he would sell the plans to another builder or local official.
At the beginning of the twentieth-first century, the covered bridge needed to be replaced
with a modern span because of increased traffic and overloading. The Jackson County Engineer
and the Ohio Historical Society moved the covered bridge adjacent to its original location.
Topics and series.
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Location. 39° 3.249′ N, 82° 27.43′ W. Marker is in Buckeye Furnace, Ohio, in Jackson County. It is on Buckeye Road (County Road 165) 0.1 miles east of Buckeye Park Road (County Road 167), on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 316 Buckeye Rd, Wellston OH 45692, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southern Ohio Hill Country. It is also in the American Midwest, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named
Other markers no longer nearby. Scales (was about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Buckeye Furnace (was about 500 feet away but has been confirmed missing); a different marker also named Hanging Rock Region (was about 500 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . . Buckeye Furnace Covered Bridge. (Submitted on February 10, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 11, 2021. It was originally submitted on February 10, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 451 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 10, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
