Covered Bridges in Missouri

Covered Bridges in Missouri. . , In Missouri, the covered bridge was first used in the 1850s when roads, railroads and overland transportation in general became a practical and important mode of travel. The first covered bridge in the state was built in 1851 in Boone County over Perche Creek on the Boone's Lick Trail. Eventually, 30 covered bridges were built in Missouri. Most of these were constructed in northern Missouri in the years just after the Civil War (1861-65). , The ravages of time and progress took their toll on Missouri's covered bridge population. Fire, flood, abandonment or re-routing of once heavily used roadways and simple neglect left only eight covered bridges in the state in 1958; today only four are still standing., Construction Materials , Elsewhere in this exhibit, you can find drawings of several of the most common truss designs used in covered bridge construction. Of the four covered bridges remaining in Missouri, three use the Howe truss system, and one, Union Covered Bridge, employs the Burr arch truss., Just as there were several truss designs for the covered bridge builder to choose from, there were a variety of woods that could be used in the construction of a covered bridge. Woods might be chosen based on local supply, performance characteristics, budget or a combination of all these. The framing of this panel provides examples of the various woods used in the four remaining covered bridges in Missouri. , Remaining Bridges , Common Woods , Union Covered Bridge, completed in 1871 by bridge builder Joseph Elliot, is the only Burr arch truss still standing in Missouri. Located eight miles southwest of Paris in Monroe County, the bridge measures 120 feet long and is 17 feet, 6 inches wide., Union Covered Bridge was built almost entirely of native oak. Oak is a common wood in northeast Missouri, easily available, hard, durable and reasonably easy to work with. All of the wood used in Union Covered Bridge, with the exception of the cedar shingles, is oak., Another interesting feature of Union Covered Bridge is that the siding is horizontal, as it would be on a house; the other covered bridges in Missouri have vertical siding, as would be found on a barn. , Sandy Creek Covered Bridge is a Howe truss bridge built originally in 1872 on the Hillsboro and Lemay Ferry gravel road that connected Hillsboro and St. Louis. This bridge was washed away by flood waters in May 1886, but was salvaged and rebuilt the following August., This former toll bridge was constructed of white pine. Although not a native to Missouri, this tree was, and still is, a common tree for lumber. The only native pine tree to Missouri is the shortleaf, or yellow pine found in the Ozarks. Today, however, white pines can be found growing in Missouri where they are used not only for lumber, but also for poles and posts., Locust Creek Covered Bridge, built in 1868, was also known as Linn County Covered Bridge. It is located midway between Laclede and Meadville on what was once Route 8, the nation's first transcontinental highway. This bridge, built using a Howe truss, is the longest in the state at 151 feet. , Like Sandy Creek Covered Bridge, Locust Creek Covered Bridge is made largely of white pine. The truss system is pine; the siding, originally pine, has been replaced with cedar. As with all of the covered bridges in Missouri, the shingles on this bridge are cedar. , Burfordville Covered Bridge is the oldest remaining covered bridge in the state. Although construction of the bridge began in 1858, a definitive date for completion has not been established. After the Civil War, the bridge became a vital link in the toll-road system between Burfordville and Cape Girardeau. , This Howe truss span is built mainly of yellow poplar, much of which was cut along the banks of the Whitewater River. In Missouri, yellow poplar is native only to the southeastern counties of the state. It makes excellent lumber, is easy to work, and naturally resistant to rot and insect damage. Today it is often used in such products as furniture, interior finish, boxes, crates and veneer.